Once Upon a Time in Shanghai
by kie-san
Summary: I UPDATED! A Chinese girl that's part of Enishi's past in Shanghai comes looking for him in Tokyo. Has she forgiven him and what's her reason for looking for him? Can she find him and help wounds heal? A tale about Enishi and an OC. post Jinchuu.
1. A Search

Konnichiwa! Let's see, in a nutshell, this story is about everyone's favorite psychopath, Yukishiro Enishi (!!) and an original character of mine. Yup, that's all I'll say about it.

DISCLAIMER: (This is for the WHOLE STORY (so I won't re-post it every chapter)) I don't own Rurouni Kenshin! In fact, none of us do! We're all just crazed otaku fans!! (unless you're Watsuki-sensei, in which I humbly bow down to your swirly eyed greatness).

SPOILER ALERT: READ THIS READ THIS READ THIS!!!

This story will have a lot of spoilers about the Jinchuu ark, as its written in the Ruroken manga. IF you have seen Samurai X: Reflections and think you know what exactly happened in the Jinchuu ark, THEN YOU ARE WRONG. It is this one's humble opinion that that movie bites arse and if you are a real RuroKen fan (or Enishi fan, for that matter), then you'll go read the Jinchuu ark (volumes 18-28). The Jinchuu ark can be found at Maigo-chan's Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translation Page (at least, that's where I read it). Just Google it and it'll come up (I would post the address, but won't let me...). If you still can't find it, email me and I'll give you the url!

Trust me, you want to read the Jinchuu ark.

Happy Reading!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 1: A Search

Hundreds of people swarmed around her as she stepped off the platform. The port was busy with work as sailors loaded and unloaded cargo, and people were reunited with friends and family.

_So many people..._

Of course she should've realized that Tokyo would be full of people. Being the capital of Japan and a busy port, it was only natural. How she ever thought she would find him, she wasn't sure.

She gave a small sigh as she shouldered her small bag that carried her few belongings, then she strode forth into the large mass of people.

The only lead she had was one name: Himura Kenshin.

"_I swore I'd kill him, and carry out my Jinchuu..."_

A small frown creased her mouth as she remembered his words. Still, no matter what, she had to find him.

She wondered if she would find him basking in the dark light of revenge, or slumped in defeat, failing what he had obsessed over for over fifteen years.

Or maybe even dead.

Either way she had to find him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

She ran as fast as her bare feet could carry her, jumping over debris and trash that littered the street. After what seemed like miles, the shop keeper had finally stopped chasing her. She allowed a small triumphant smile to creep onto her lips as she hugged the two loaves of bread that she had hidden under her shirt closer to herself. She noticed the covetous looks she was getting from the people that were scattered on the street around her, and stood up straight and walked proudly away from them.

No way they were getting what she had almost died to accomplish.

She hurried back to her miniscule residence, her stomach growling in anticipation. She grinned at the thought of being full for the first time in weeks.

The shopkeepers had begun to get suspicious of her a while ago. At first they didn't really suspect or notice her, since she was only an inconspicuous little girl. But after a while they noticed the few missing items of food that seemed to disappear when she was around. Of course they put two and two together, and soon she was being hustled out of stores before she could even see what type of merchandise they had.

She'd have to find a new way to get food.

Oh well, she'd worry about it later.

She was almost home when something she saw out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She kept running as she stared at a boy that was slumped against the wall of one of the many poorly made shacks. Normally she wouldn't pay attention to the hundreds of beggars and starving children that normally wandered the streets of Shanghai.

However...

...Not only was he wearing strange clothes...

...But he had hair that was as white as snow.

Before she passed out of his sight, he glanced at her. Empty jade green eyes devoid of feeling stared at her listlessly. She couldn't help staring back, feeling as if she was swept back to another part of her life.

She tore her eyes away from his as her mind returned to the present, and hurried on down the street, burying the image of his eyes into the back of her mind.

--------------------

She was panting slightly as she plopped down in her little house. She struggled to get the bread out, since she didn't even have any room sit up straight. Her little "house" was really a small opening that she had found under one of the many bridges. She didn't have room for anything but a few clay pots that she had found in the street. Then again, she didn't have anything else to put into her home. Still, it served its purpose of keeping strangers and the weather out, and giving her a sense of having somewhere to return. It made her feel that maybe, she wasn't so bad off.

That she was different from the hundred homeless and starving people that dragged themselves through the city, looking for scraps of food and rats to eat.

She remembered the boy with the snow white hair as she looked at the loaves of bread that sat innocently, almost enticingly, in front of her.

His eyes had an emptiness to them that was different than everyone else's. Only someone that had lost everything that had ever been dear to them could have eyes like that.

Everything.

Just like she had.

Her conscience plagued and nagged at her, until she gave a defeated sigh and stuffed the two loaves back into her shirt. She managed to wriggle out of the small opening, then hurried back down the street, retracing her steps warily.

---------------------------

_What is this...?_

His head throbbed agonizingly in an unbearable beat, but he had learned to ignore it. Just like he had grown accustomed to the constant pain that shot through his body, sending waves of hot hurt up his arms and legs, and the fever that burned him every agonizing minute. He had no strength left.

_Is this... how it feels to die?_

It had almost been a month since he arrived in the Chinese demon city, Shanghai. He had no money left, and had gone to extreme measures just to survive. But now, his energy was completely drained. He didn't have the strength to even hunt for rats or wounded animals to eat.

He could feel death approaching him, heavily silent steps gliding in a thick haze towards him.

_Is this how you felt... Nee-san?_

Death had stopped now, and he could feel its ominous presence in front of him. He didn't want to die yet.

He couldn't die yet.

He still had to kill him...

"_Here_," Death said in Chinese as it thrust something towards him. He glanced up to see not a rotting oni threatening him with a bloody chain covered sword, but a young girl holding out a piece of food for him. He looked at her in the eye, and managed a harsh glare.

"I don't need your pity..." he muttered listlessly as his eyes moved slowly back down to the ground. She just kept staring at him, the piece of bread still held out towards him.

"If you don't want it then I'll eat it," she said a little harshly a while after he had spoken. She didn't know if he understood her or not, since he remained silent as she waited for him to respond. In the end, he lifted his hand up and opened his palm, waiting to receive the loaf, which she shoved into his hand languidly.

She watched as he gazed at the brown loaf, as if debating whether to eat it or not. Eventually he began to eat it, in slow bites. His hunger began to show as he began taking bigger and faster chunks. Soon he was practically ripping the bread apart as he wolfed it down.

"You shouldn't..." she began to say, but then she noticed to look of horror he suddenly got in his eyes. She quickly stepped to the side, avoiding the mess of vomit that suddenly erupted out of his gut.

He clutched his abdomen as the entire contents of his stomach poured out in front of him, including the bread that was the little bit of food that he had had in days. His eyes began to tear up as the acidic stench filled his nose, and his throat burned painfully as he forced the little saliva he had left down it.

"What have you been eating?" she asked. He was surprised to hear a tone of concern in her voice. He had understood her this time, and he didn't really want to answer. But what did it matter now? He was practically rotting away in front of her, how much lower could he go?

"Anything," he finally muttered as he gripped his stomach and sat back up. She looked at him questioningly, and he knew for sure that she didn't know any Japanese.

"Anything," he growled, feeling irritated. "Trash, rats, anything I can get my hands on. Even dead bodies, if I have to." He motioned to the filthy street around them, and she watched as rats darted around picking at the trash. She followed one with her eyes, and watched until it stopped in front of one of the many dead bodies that littered the street. She pointed to it and gave him a questioning look, which he avoided as he gazed intently at the ground.

He didn't... Did he...?

"Why?" she spoke softly at him, her brow furrowing. Her eyes widened slightly as a manic grin spread across his face, although a strange sadness remained in his eyes.

"Because... I have to kill him... I _need_ to kill him..." She watched as his whole body shook violently, and weeks of exhaustion and malnutrition finally took its toll. He collapsed into a pathetic heap of rags and bones that seemed to be covered only in skin, his white hair standing out vividly between it all.

She looked at him, wondering what would drive him to such drastic measures. How much had been stolen from him, that he needed to devour the plagued dead in the street just to live? She almost wished she could speak his language, although she wasn't even sure he'd answer any questions.

She looked at him now, and once again felt a pang of relativity to his position. She had lost everything, and now here she was. He had lost it all too, but, unlike her, he had something that drove him to survive that she knew was beyond a primal instinct, as was her life. She would rather starve before eating a lifeless corpse of a human, but he obviously was ready to do anything to live. Was he trying to gain back what he had lost?

She sighed silently and shut her eyes for a second. When she opened them, he was still there, pitiably sprawled on the filthy ground as he breathed short, painful breaths.

Damn it. She was too nice for this city.

She avoided the pool of vomit on the ground as she stepped towards him. She reached out to him, but hesitated for a second. He seemed to be semi unconscious, if that was even possible. His eyes were half open, staring blankly at nothing as sweat collected on his brow.

She sighed once again, and finally gripped his shoulders and sat him up. He didn't seem to notice this, so she continued. She slung both his arms over shoulders, so that his face was by hers and the tips of his feet would drag behind her. After much effort she managed to stand up, painfully realizing that he was much taller than she and that more than the tips of his feet would drag. However, since he was so skinny now he probably didn't weigh much more than she did.

"What are you doing?" She heard him murmur something under his breath. She glanced at him, noticing that his eyes were now closed and that he was frowning. "I told you I didn't want your pity."

"Shut up, you have to save your energy," she responded crossly, although what he had said was a complete mystery to her. "I'm doing you a big favor. Besides, you can't die, right?" He didn't answer, and she wondered if he had passed out again.

"Battousai..." he muttered in a daze, making her curiosity for this boy with snow-white hair grow even more.

---------------------------

_Nee-san..._

He felt his head pound as he opened his eyes slowly. What had happened?

He tried to sit up, but complaints from his body and the low ceiling made him lay back down with a groan.

He heard a small voice that was coming from the other side of the small room. He tilted his head up and noticed a Chinese girl that was curled up into a small corner, taking up as little room as possible. She had dirty jet black hair that was tied into a messy ponytail with a piece of cloth, and her clothes were ordinary shabby peasant clothes. He never would've thought anything different of her, except that she had slate blue eyes that seemed unusually apathetic. He tilted his head back down and stared at the ceiling. From the little Chinese he had picked up on the ship and by listening to others, she had said something about finally being awake.

"Why did you bring me here?" he asked. She didn't answer, but just looked at him thoughtfully. After a while she spoke again, and he gathered that she thought he was sick.

"So?" he muttered. "No one else seems to care." She didn't answer as she watched him. His cold dark eyes didn't move, and she wondered what he could be thinking about.

_Nee-san..._

She pointed to the his left, and he turned his head to the side and noticed a slightly cracked clay pot with some river water leaking out of it, and a loaf of bread similar to the one he had taken from her the day before. She either had more food than most, or she hadn't eaten anything herself. It didn't matter; she was giving it to him.

She muttered something before leaving through the small opening, leaving him to decipher just what she said. He closed his eyes, and soon a small voice in his head repeated what she had said, more or less.

_Eat it or not, I don't care. Just leave if you're going to die, I don't want to find a dead body in here._

He mentally shrugged, then propped himself on his elbow and took the bread. He began eating it slowly, and drinking water. He didn't want to repeat what had happened last time.

After he was done he lay back down and closed his eyes. He didn't sleep however, letting old memories and thoughts flood back to him and plague ever nerve in his body.

_Hitokiri Battousai..._

----------------------------

She ran down the street, dodging the small string of people that actually had money and were shopping for food. The two large oranges that she clutched close to her chest gathered attention, she could see that.

It had taken her all day to find just the right store and just the right time. Nevertheless, she had almost been caught. And if she got caught here, they'd either beat her or kill her. She didn't really prefer either.

She needed to find a way to either get money or find a new way to steal.

Still, at least she had found something to eat for the time being.

She squirmed through the small opening to her hovel, pushing the oranges in first. As she went in, she noticed that he was now sitting up, hunched over since he was so much taller than she. He made no sign of noticing her entrance. She frowned.

"Here," she tossed an orange at him, hoping to hit him out of sleep. However, he lifted his hand up at just the right time and caught the orange without looking up. She gave him a skeptical look as she sat down with her orange. He looked down at the orange globe in his hand, then looked up at her with the same cold look that he always had.

He raised an eyebrow at her, as if asking "Where did you get this?"

"Where do you think?" she shrugged. "I stole it." He glanced at her as she began to peel her orange wearily. Soon she was cramming whole rinds into her mouth. He just looked at his orange.

"You'd better eat that," she frowned. "I almost died getting it." She wasn't exaggerating. He didn't make any implications of hearing or understanding her, and simply began to peel his orange.

"You haven't been in Shanghai for too long, have you?" she asked. He didn't answer at first as he slowly chewed his orange. After a few minutes he held up one finger. "One what? Month, year, day?" He muttered the Chinese word for "month."

"I've been wandering around Shanghai for about three years now," she mused, mostly to herself. "I've been in this part of the city for almost two months. It's almost time to move on."

He remained silent as he seemed to concentrate, and she wondered if he was actually trying to understand what she had said.

"Why?" he asked eventually as he pushed a piece of orange into his mouth.

"Because, then the shopkeepers know your face and they can always tell you're gonna steal something." Neither tried to strike up another conversation, so they remained silent as they finished off the rest of their oranges.

"It's late," she said as she tossed her peel out the small hole. "I'm going to sleep." He watched as she curled back up into her small corner and closed her eyes. He put his orange peels to the side and also rested his head against the wall, closing his eyes, silently waiting for his blood stained Nee-san and the red haired hitokiri to step into his dreams as they often did.

----------------------------

"I'm going now," she said as she made her way to the entrance.

"You shouldn't go," he hope he said in crude Chinese as he narrowed his eyes. He had heard her groans in the night. Obviously, oranges weren't the best thing for your stomach if there was nothing but acid in it. Even now she had a pained look in her eyes, and he knew she wouldn't last long if she tried to steal something in her present condition.

"I'm f-fine," she tried to say reassuringly, although the stutter didn't help. "Get some rest, you still need it." He had been feeling a little better after getting better food than he usually did, but his body was still weak. He didn't say anything as he watched her wriggle out of the small opening.

-------------------------------

She stumbled along the market street as if in a daze. She felt horrible, and she had just thrown up the orange she had eaten the night before and her head was pounding as sweat trickled down it. She needed to find something acid-free that would help ease her stomach. But was she up to stealing now that her mind was preoccupied on her pain?

She shook her head as if trying to clear her thoughts. She needed concentration. This pain was nothing, she had been through worse. And she had survived. She just needed to concentrate.

Just then she noticed a stall in front of her. Incredibly, the shopkeeper was nowhere in sight. She grinned at her luck, mentally thanking the idiot store owner for leaving all his goods unguarded.

She waited for a while until there was the least amount of people around the stall. After making sure that he hadn't come back, she bolted into the shop. Quickly she grabbed a few things, then made her way out of the shop. Just as she darted out the door, she ran straight into what felt like a brick wall. She looked up in horror to see the shopkeeper and two other men standing in front of her, grinning widely in triumph. She tried to run around them, but one of them grabbed her by the collar and picked her small body up with one hand.

"So you're the little thief," growled the shopkeeper. "We've been waiting for you..."

---------------------------

She was later than she had been the day before. He wondered if she had trouble finding anything, or if she had actually gotten in trouble. Oh well, not his problem. He had told the girl not to go.

Just then, outside he heard the sound of someone groan as they collapsed onto the ground. He raised his eyebrow, then made his way out of the little hole. The afternoon light strained his eyes a bit, since he had been in a dark room for almost two days now. He looked down, and realized that it was the girl that had collapsed. Her face was buried in one arm as she lay on her belly.

"Hey," he said as he bent down. "Hey, what're you doing?" She didn't answer him, so he prodded her with one finger. She still didn't make any notion of having felt him. To his surprise, he felt a small bubble of worry blow up in him, so he kneeled down and turned her over.

His eyes widened in shock when he saw her. Her face was covered in scrapes, bruises, and blood, as was the rest of her body, her clothes stained with dirt and Kami knew what else. One of her arms was bent weirdly, and he figured that it was broken. Her eyes were halfway open, slate blue looking dully at nothing, and he knew that she was unconscious. She had let herself get caught.

He frowned. Stupid girl, she should've known this would happen. It wasn't his problem. He hadn't asked to be saved by her. He owed her nothing.

He began to walk away, leaving the pathetic figure behind him.

Surprisingly, he couldn't get the image of her face out of his mind.

He sighed audibly and turned his head and glanced at her. Her blue eyes were still watching nothing, and he knew that she wouldn't last long.

_What do you think I should do, Nee-san?_

At that moment, in a flash, he saw an image of his precious sister standing by the limp body of the young girl. He listlessly turned around and went to her. She'd have to be taken to a doctor, although he had no idea how he'd pay for it, so he tried to pick her up. He slung her arm over his shoulder and wrapped his other arm around her waist. He tried to stand up, but realized that he was still incredibly weak. A loaf of bread and an orange couldn't make up for a month of hardly any food.

His whole body shook as he attempted to take the girl to anybody that could help. He felt the little energy he had accumulated draining as he took each step. He had only walked a few blocks, and he was already almost back to his earlier pathetic weak state. Her body became heavier and heavier with each passing step as his own began to shake violently, and soon he knew he couldn't hold her.

He miss-stepped and both of them went crashing to the ground. He couldn't move her small body off of his, and there was a sharp pain in his side. His head spun as he tried to look around, and he noticed that everything seemed darker and blurrier. He couldn't go any further.

He figured it wouldn't be long, so he waited for death...

"Hey, are you all right?!" The voice seemed to echo from someplace far away. "How could a Japanese boy and a little girl...? Quick, get him some medicine!"

------------------------------

_Does it hurt...?_

_Flames envelop the figure in front of her. She can see a sorrowful smile on her lips._

_Does it hurt much...?_

_Her arms reach out towards her, and she tries to touch her hands. The smoke fills the air and burns tears into her eyes. Her arms drop limply to her sides in defeat._

_Where are you going?_

_She says something to her, something soft and sweet that doesn't make it across the roaring flames to her ears. She wants to cry out to her, and ask her what she said. But it's too late. Fire falls from the sky and crushes the figure that is soon lost in the orange red madness._

_Don't go... Mommy...._

She wakes suddenly with a gasp. The smell of burning wood still fills her nose, and she can see the small figure of her mother being swallowed into the burning house. Soon the image fades away, though, and she realizes she's not in her own home.

She feels the luxurious touch of soft silk sheets, and smells the wonderful aroma of food. She looks around to see that she's in a nicely furnished room and a soft white bed. She touches her face and realizes that someone's wrapped her wounds, even her arm which is tightly bound in a splint and in a sling.

She hears a sweet voice say something softly. She looks up to the door to see a maternally looking woman in a strange outfit walking in with a tray of food.

"What...?" she begins to ask, but the woman stops her and shakes her head. She gently nudges her back down to the sheets, then says the Chinese word for "rest" in a strange accent.

She didn't know what was going on. Who was the strange woman and why was she taking care of her? She watched as the woman set the tray of food in front of her.

She looked up at the woman in surprise, then down to the tray in front of her. It seemed to be a thick soup, with real meat that wasn't any vermin, and had vegetables swimming around. There were also some buns of some kind, and an herb tea.

She looked at the woman with a look of confusion and hunger. The woman laughed, then said "eat" in her strange accent. She beamed at the woman thankfully, then picked up the chopsticks and began eating ravenously.

--------


	2. A Search continued

NOTE: If you are Liem or WhiteRabbit5 and are (miraculously) still reading this, then skip this chapter, since you've already read it (I took your advice and split the chapter into two). But I did respond to your reviews, which are at the bottom of the story!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 2: A Search (continued)

A large shove suddenly knocked her out of her thoughts. She looked down to see a young boy walking away from her briskly with his head turned down. Before he could leave, however, she reached out and grabbed him from the collar.

The boy looked back at her angrily as he started flailing his arms and yelling at her in Japanese.

"Give it back," she said as she held out her hand. The boy's eyes clearly looked frightened, but he quickly covered that with a mask of indignation.

He muttered something, in which she could make out a few curse words about foreigners, then stuck his chin in the air and crossed his arms.

"That's all the money I have. I won't let you take it. _Give it back_." The boy looked up at her, startled, and she pinned him down with hard glare from her slate blue eyes. He cast his eyes down and took her purse out of his pocket while muttering an apology.

"It's all right," she replied simply as she took back her purse, even though she knew he didn't understand a word she was saying. She wondered if maybe he could help her. She let him go as she placed the purse back into her pocket.

"_Himura Kenshin_," she said, struggling to make the words sound right. He looked at her questioningly, then said something that contained the words "Himura Kenshin," but nothing else she could understand. She shrugged her shoulders to show that, and the boy rolled his eyes. He motioned for her to follow him then began walking away. She didn't have anything better to do, so she did.

After a few minutes of walking he had led her to a large building, in which a young man in a blue uniform was standing by the door.

The young boy suddenly took on a role of authority, and then began talking to the policeman importantly. The policeman looked at him with a bored look, then tried to shrug him off. The boy was persistent, however, and soon they were both talking in loud voices as she stood to the side feeling very confused. She did manage to hear "Himura Kenshin" being said a few times, and she hoped that the boy really was helping her.

After a while, the policeman shrugged and went inside. The boy didn't move, so she waited. Soon the police came back outside and muttered something to the boy as he regained his post lazily. The boy bowed deeply with a large grin, then motioned for her to follow him. She also bowed thanks to the policeman and quickly followed the boy.

A little later she was walking down the street towards what she hoped was the right destination. The boy had a content look in his face that didn't seem evil, and she trusted him. Soon she began to relax as well.

She walked behind the boy down the peaceful road, feeling unusually calm in the setting sunlight. The chilly early spring wind wrapped around her fondly and the sounds of children playing filled her ears. She watched as a couple and their young boy walked down the street, the couple holding hands and the child eating some form of a treat.

They reminded her of the young family that had taken her in all those years ago. She fondly remembered the happy weeks she had spent with them as they adopted her and him into their small family. She had never been so happy. That is, until that afternoon, when horrible screams filled the house and squeezed all the warmth out of it...

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mei-mei, I have your dinner," he said as he walked into her room, his face a mask of concentration as he balanced the tray he was carrying. She smiled at the boy that insisted on calling her "mei-mei," or "little sister" in Chinese, as he walked towards her and put the tray down besides her bed, letting out a sigh of relief.

"_Airgatou_," she said in very bad Japanese as she continued smiling at the little Japanese boy. He and his family had been taking care of her and the other boy for nearly three weeks now, and he had been teaching her a little Japanese, since they both had nothing better to do. He was one of the few in the family that could speak Chinese fluently enough to be able to have a conversation with, and, needless to say, she looked forward to talking to him more than anything. It was such a strange feeling to have a brother and be part of a family.

_Part of a family..._

She didn't remember her family, since they had all died when she was very young, so she had been a homeless little wanderer for as long as she could remember. The only way in which she could recall them was sporadic dreams that she randomly had. But now here she was suddenly being accepted into a family that she met by chance. She prayed thanks every night to the gods that had allowed her to find them.

"Have you eaten?" she asked him.

"Nope, not yet," he grinned. "Kaa-san's taking dinner to..." Just then, a blood curdling shriek screeched its way through the house, making both of them jump in shock.

"What was that?" she asked, feeling a strange chill run up her spine.

"It sounded like Kaa-san," he responded. "I'll go see if she's okay..." Before she could stop him, he had run out the room and bounded down the hall. Something was wrong, she could feel it.

It was a feeling that she would never see him again...

----------------------------

He was standing in the middle of the room, panting slightly through a large grin. His eyes were wide and there was a frightening gleam in them. The bodies that were strewn around the room were lying motionless in large pools of blood that had splattered everywhere. The same blood that covered the sword that he was gripping tightly.

Finally, after weeks of waiting to fully recover, he had done it...

"You killed them..." a soft voice said from the other side of the room. He looked up to see the girl, her black hair now clean and silky and dressed in a spotless white nightgown. He didn't know she was here, since he hadn't left his room all this time. "How could you...?" She looked up at him with distraught blue eyes.

"It was easy," he grinned, speaking in Chinese like she was. "So easy."

"But, they helped you... and you killed them?" Her eyes began to well up with tears.

"They died for the sake of my Jinchuu," he responded as he looked at her with wild blue green eyes. "It doesn't matter. I swore I'd kill him, and carry out my Jinchuu... Nothing else matters."

"Then will you kill me too?" she asked, her voice calm, although resonating with anger. He didn't answer, but just looked at her with the same expression on his face. Had he understood her? "I helped you too. Shouldn't you kill me?"

"I would... but it's not necessary," he said as he turned away.

"Not necessary?!" She could feel an anger she had never felt before boiling in her blood, making her face flush.

"You don't have anything that'll help my Jinchuu, so it'd be pointless to kill you." Tears of sad realization began to stream down her face as she looked at him with a horrified look.

"You're... you're _disgusting_," she spat through gritted teeth. "You take the little happiness I had... and refuse to let me join them in the world beyond." He didn't move, and once again she wondered if he had understood her.

Suddenly he spun around and pointed the tip of the blood stained sword straight at her, so it was only inches away from her face.

"Take whatever you want, and _get out_," he growled in Japanese, forgetting to speak in Chinese. Her usually indifferent blue eyes glared at him with intense animosity, his glaring back at her equally the same.

He blinked and turned away, letting the sword fall to the ground with an earsplitting clatter in the tense air as he walked to the body of the father. She stared at him as he searched the mutilated body. Soon he stood up and tossed a bloodstained wallet to her, which she caught.

"There. Now leave," he said as he turned back around. She looked at the wallet in her hands.

"I hate you," she growled. She threw the wallet to the ground before turning around and tearing back to her room. She was out of the house and bolting down the street in less than five minutes, hot tears stinging her eyes as soft white snowflakes floated innocently down.

She never wanted to see him again as long as she lived.

But, of course, things don't always work out how one wishes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her face was soft and faraway as she reminisced. She had hated him for years afterwards. Her life became a downwards spiral, until she was worse than the scum that wandered the streets of China. There was nothing worth living for during the next ten years, except for the hate that plagued her soul. It was only after she met him again that she began to put her life back together.

They stopped in front of the gate, a large sign above it. She recognized the kanji for "dojo." The boy grinned at her and pointed to it, then said that Himura Kenshin was living there. She smiled brightly at him, then pulled some money out of her purse and handed it to him. He flipped the coin in the air as he walked away, shouting a laughing thanks.

Well, she had managed to find her first destination in less time then she thought. She wondered if he had been here yet, if he had carried out his revenge. If he had, then what response would she get from the people living here? She knew he could be cold blooded and heartless if he needed to be, and who knew what sort of grief he had put these people through. Still, she needed to find him.

And talking to Himura Kenshin was the only lead she had.

She knocked on the door, and soon she could hear the shuffle of feet as they walked towards the door. The gate opened. A young girl with long black hair that was tied in a high ponytail, wearing hakama pants and a gi, was standing in front of her.

"Yes, can I help you?" she asked, her blue eyes looking slightly surprised.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay! Um, I'll post the next chapter soon... I think... I'm kind of in a writers block so any suggestions are appreciated!! Please! What do YOU think will make the story more interesting?

Constructive criticism (pretty please, no flames) is greatly appreciated. SERIOUSLY. Tell me what I did wrong (boring? stupid? no plot? tell me!) so I can fix it!

I have two reviews to respond to! Whoo hoo!!

**Liem:** I'm glad you like it (so far, anyway)! You won't learn her name until, like, the fourth chapter (don't ask why, I'm just weird that way). Yep, there's definitely something about crazy psycho guys that makes them so cool! Enishi's spiky hair helps too (am I the only one that's noticed that Watsuki-sensei likes spiky hair?)

Sanosuke: With good reason, duh.

K-S: SANO!! (glomp!) YAY! (I love being an authoress, so much _power_...)

**WhiteRabbit5**: Heh, yeah, maybe the whole "eating dead people" was a little much, but Enishi did tell Kenshin that he did that to survive! (eww!) In any case, I'm glad you liked it! And THANK YOU for reading my story (I can't believe you actually listened to me! You're so nice!!).

Thank you guys for making the good point that the first chapter was WAY too long! This is only my second fic, so I'm still kind of new to this...

Now YOU should leave a review like the other nice people!

PLEASE!!

REVIEW!!


	3. Discovery

Another chapter uploaded!! Success!!

(Oh, I got some reviews saying the first chapter was the same as the second... But it looks fine when I look through it. Is something wrong with my computer...?)

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 3: Discovery

"Yes, can I help you?" asked the raven haired girl. She cursed at herself and her stupidity for not thinking of something to say before hand.

"Um," she faltered. "Himura Kenshin?" The girl looked slightly taken aback as she stepped to the side.

"Hai, come in," she said, plastering on a fake smile that didn't cover up her nervousness.

So he was still alive.

They walked into the old dojo's yard to the back, passing the practice hall that was full of sounds of people practicing. She glanced into it as they passed, noticing two boys in hakama pants that were observing a group of children that were swinging around swords of bamboo. She had always wondered what a dojo was like.

The two girls walked in tense silence. She let her mind wander, and soon she found herself making up a mental image of what the Battousai would look like.

She thought of a large muscle bound man in a dark cloak or kimono, a sword swinging dangerously on his hip. He gave her a piercing gaze from his dark, cold, black eyes. His face was full of scars left over from the war, painful reminders of the chaotic turmoil he had lived through, including the one he had gotten from Enishi's sister. He wouldn't answer her directly, but grunt mostly and only talk when necessary. Also, he wouldn't ask for tea, but would probably offer her some sake.

And he'd flip out when he'd find that she's looking for Enishi, who he probably his sworn enemy of doom.

She realized that the girl had stopped walking, and was calling to someone who was hunched over a large laundry tub, scrubbing furiously. He made a funny noise ("oro?"), then looked up to the two women. Content light blue eyes looked up at them beneath a mess of fiery red hair that hung over his eyes. He smiled and stood up, wiping his hands as he walked towards them.

"Konnichiwa," he said with the same friendly smile on his face as he approached her. Her eyes were wide in surprise. Was this really the hitokiri that had caused so much pain for him? She couldn't feel anything but warmth and peace radiating off of this man. Yet, she could feel something hidden, something deep inside that he didn't normally show.

Well, at least she was right about the scar.

She remained silent for a while, examining him with her critical blue eyes cautiously, noting everything about him: the cross shaped scar, the messy long red hair, the faded clothes, the old sword on his hip. He seemed to realize this as he stayed almost perfectly still, with a relaxed patient smile on his face.

"Hitokiri Battousai," she said after a while as her eyes flickered up to his. She noticed the startled look he gave her, and the surprised jump of the girl standing besides her. She was surprised when his face, rather than being shocked or angry, took on a tired look, as if he was exhausted of hearing that name.

-------------------------

"...And that's all she said," Kaoru finished telling Yahiko exactly what had happened, Kenshin standing by them, his face a mask of concentration. The Chinese girl that had suddenly appeared was sitting in the small tea room they had.

"Just ask her what she knows and what she means," Yahiko scoffed as he rolled his eyes at Kaoru.

"Okay, correction," she growled, "That's _all_ she can say. She can only speak Chinese."

"Oh," Yahiko said, suddenly realizing why it was so weird, "Why would someone from China be looking for Kenshin?"

"I don't know," Kaoru said, looking at the ground with a worried look.

"Oh well, the only way we can find out is to ask her," Yahiko said, trying not to sound as worried as his teacher looked. "Do we know anyone who can speak Chinese?"

"I can speak Chinese," Yutarou said as he walked up behind Yahiko, startling him slightly.

"What? Since when?" Yahiko frowned as turned around to face Yutarou.

"My dad had a lot of Chinese clients, so he insisted that I learn it to keep up business in case he was gone or something," Yutarou shrugged. Then his eye took on a mischievous gleam. "Just because nothing but swords is in your head, Yahiko-_chan_, doesn't mean mine is too." A vein popped out on Yahiko's forehead.

"Better swords than pretty girls," he scowled as he swung the shinai he was holding down on Yutarou's head, although Yutarou easily blocked it with his own.

"Better pretty girls than absolutely nothing," Yutarou mocked as he pushed Yahiko's shinai off. Steam was almost visible coming out of Yahiko's ears as he grit his teeth, getting ready to blow up, but Kenshin put his hand on his shoulder. Yahiko could feel the seriousness in the grip of his hand, and immediately calmed down.

"Then could you help us, Yutarou-dono?" he asked cheerfully. Yahiko's and Kaoru's eyes widened slightly. All three of them knew rather well that Yutarou had no idea about Kenshin's past as a hitokiri or anything. He was even blissfully oblivious to the events with Shishio, and even to what took place only a few months ago.

"Kenshin..." Kaoru began to say, but Yahiko cut her off.

"Whatever, Kaoru," he shrugged. "It's about time this baka knew anyways." Kenshin smiled as he began walking down the pathway, leading the way to where their guest was staying.

No one mentioned the thought that was nagging them in their minds.

The one about the only Chinese man they knew.

------------------------------

She lowered her eyelids and let out a sigh of boredom. It had been a while since Himura and his friend had left her in this room. The tea they gave her was even starting to get cold. She began to wonder if they had run away for some reason. Maybe he was in hiding?

Just when she was about to get up to see, the door slid open. In walked the hitokiri, along with the raven haired girl and two young boys. She frowned at him. She was hoping to talk to him in private. He noticed this, and said something to the boy she had noticed earlier with the light brown hair.

"Um, I'll have to be here to... er... translate since Kenshin can't speak Chinese," he said in rather choppy Chinese. She could tell that he was out of practice, although he could've probably spoken fluently a few years earlier.

"Then why are they here?" she asked, looking at Himura while motioning to the other two. The red head said something, and the boy soon answered, although he looked slightly perplexed.

"They know about everything, it's okay." She scanned them over once with her eyes, then shrugged and nodded.

------------------------------

"What is your business here?" Kenshin asked, his face looking the most serious Yutarou had ever seen it. He asked the girl, and her face also took on an even more serious tone.

"_Hitokiri Battousai?_," she said. Yutarou's eyes widened in surprise, and were bugging out when he saw Kenshin nod.

"Yes, I was known by that name," he said, almost wearily.

"What the...!?" Yutarou exclaimed, as he stared at Kenshin.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Yutarou-dono," he smiled at him, "But I suppose it's better that you do know." Yutarou's eyes were still wide as he looked at Yahiko, who was sitting by him and had a very smug look on his face.

"We've all known since we met him," he replied to his unasked question, his smug grin growing even larger. "You're the only one besides the other students that doesn't know."

"WHAT?!" Yutarou yelled, almost standing up if Kaoru hadn't grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him back down.

"Yutarou," she said gently, "It doesn't matter. Kenshin is still Kenshin, no matter what he was."

"You all knew, and no one TOLD ME?!" he replied, clenching his fist in front of him as tears of bitterness streamed down his face.

"Good God, suck it up," Yahiko frowned as he inched a little farther away, anime sweatdrops appearing on everyone but the Chinese girl's head.

"Ahem, well, should we continue?" Kenshin said, his face rather anxious. Yutarou nodded as he wiped his tears, Kaoru patting his back consolingly. He looked at the girl, ready for the next question.

"_Where is Yukishiro Enishi?_" she asked. He raised his eyebrow skeptically as he translated what she had said. Yahiko and Kaoru jumped in surprise, and Kenshin's mouth dropped slightly in shock.

"I feel like I've missed something," he muttered as he looked at everyone gaping at the girl.

"You knew Enishi?" Kenshin asked. He translated it.

"Hai," she replied. "_I'm looking for him. Do you know where he is?_" He translated. Kenshin shook his head slowly, and Kaoru and Yahiko looked very uncomfortable.

"No one knows where Enishi's gone," Kenshin's voice was soft, consoling. "The police have even reported him dead." Yutarou translated. It was the girl's turn to be shocked.

"_What?!_" she exclaimed. "_He's dead?!_" Translated.

"He's not dead," Kaoru replied. "He can't be dead. He still has to atone and find his answer." Translated. The girl looked at Kaoru skeptically.

"Nani?" she said, a confused look on her face.

"Do you even know what Enishi came to Tokyo for?" Yahiko said, raising both his eyebrows. Translated.

"Hai," the girl sighed wearily as she looked down at her cup of tea. "_Of course I know. There's been nothing else on his mind for the past fifteen years._" Translated. Kenshin's eyes widened.

"How long have you known Enishi for?" he asked. Translated. The girl looked up at him quizzically.

"_I told you_," she answered simply. "_I met him fifteen years ago in Shanghai."_ Translated.

"Didn't Enishi have a big syndicate in Shanghai?" Yahiko asked Kaoru.

"Yeah, he did," Kaoru replied.

"How do we know she's not part of his company?" Yahiko narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the girl, who was looking at him quizzically. "Hey, what if she's under new orders to find Enishi and finish him off?"

"Yahiko, you've been reading too much manga," Kaoru sighed, rolling her eyes.

"No, Kaoru-dono, he may have a point," Kenshin said. "Yutarou, ask her for the reason she wants to find Enishi." Yutarou and the girl were both looking at them with annoyed looks on their faces (the girl because no one was translating anything, and Yutarou because he didn't know what the heck they were talking about).

"Um, okay, whatever," Yutarou muttered, then asked the girl. A flash of thought passed through her eyes, but she just shrugged. Kenshin sighed.

"We don't mean to pry, but if you're from Enishi's old syndicate and are planning something, then we can't help you," Kenshin said sternly. Yutarou translated.

"_If you're suggesting that I'm here to assassinate him, then you really can't get much farther from the truth,_" she said, slightly irked. Translated. Then she added, "_I just want to make sure he's okay..._" Yutarou translated this as Kenshin looked up at her. She quickly looked away, a faint blush appearing on her face.

"Hooohh," Kenshin said as a grin stretched out on his face, "So that's it." She shot him a what-are-you-smiling-at face, which Kenshin ignored.

"I'm sorry," Kenshin then said, taking on a more serious tone, "But we don't know where he is. I don't think anyone does." The girl sighed audibly as Yutarou translated.

"_Did you defeat him?_" she asked softly, her eyes looking at Kenshin sadly. Translated. Kenshin nodded once. She sighed again. "_I never thought that would be possible... He was so determined to get his revenge. He thought his sister wanted him to kill you... as you did her_." The last comment shocked Yutarou, but he translated it anyways.

"That..." Kenshin's voice was low, and his eyes had a faraway look in them, "I won't deny I killed Himura Tomoe. But, it wasn't as he had seen it." Translated.

"_It was all a mistake_," she said, a bittersweet smile on her face. "_I'm sorry, for whatever he must've done ... It must've been painful._" Translated.

"We have all learned to accept it," was his simple reply. "I think we were all more than a little confused. Still, some good things did come of it." A soft smile appeared on Kaoru's lips as she looked at Kenshin, which no one but the girl seemed to notice. Yutarou translated it. The girl looked up at Kenshin with a sad smile.

"_I'm happy for you_," she said, looking at Kaoru then at Kenshin. She got up and picked up her bag. "_I'm sorry to have bothered you. I'll be leaving now._" Yutarou translated it hastily as she began to go to the door.

"If you find him," Kaoru said. "Tell him he can come here... if he needs help." Yutarou translated it. The girl didn't turn around, but nodded in understanding.

"Arigatou," she said as she stepped out the door. No one made any motion to follow her, and soon she was out of the dojo. Yutarou looked around at everyone, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Sooo," Yutarou said, trying to sound nonchalant as everyone looked at him, as if forgetting he had been sitting there the whole time, "Who exactly was Yukishiro Enishi?"

"My brother in law," Kenshin replied simply. Yutarou nodded as if understanding, then did a double take on Kenshin, his mouth dropping open in surprise ("say what?!"). "Kaoru-dono, it's time for dinner, right?"

"Yeah," she replied, ignoring Yutarou's shocked face.

"Busu, stay away from the kitchen and let Kenshin handle dinner," Yahiko frowned as he stood up, following Kaoru and Kenshin who were walking out the door.

"Yahiko, I'd be careful with your choice of words," Kaoru replied in a dangerously sweet voice. They all left the room, closing the door behind them. Yutarou could hear them arguing as usual as they walked down the walkway.

"I'm so confused," he said pitifully to himself as he hung his head and let out a loud sigh.

----------------------------

She walked down the street, suddenly feeling cold now that the sun had gone down, casting strange shadows in the half light. Her face was set in thought as she considered what had happened.

So, Enishi had already attempted his Jinchuu, but he had _failed_? He was the strongest person she had ever met, cold and determined eyes validating this. And yet, there was this little man who was apparently stronger than Enishi, but he hardly seemed perturbed about his past.

No, that wasn't right. She had felt it, a soft air of sadness around him. But still, this man had been a heartless hitokiri, and now he was a happy little laundry machine? Did he simply bury his past, or had he found a way to atone for all the killings he had done, wiping his conscience clean? No, it was impossible to forget about so many murders, so much spilled blood. He must've found a way to live in peace with himself.

How did he do it?

And, more importantly, was it possible for Enishi to do the same?

She sighed, her eyes downcast. Since Enishi had been beaten, then he was probably in pain right now. She'd have to find him, and help him.

She looked up and searched for an inn to stay at, scanning the large signs quickly. She soon spotted what she thought was a respectable looking place, and checked into a small room.

She put her small bag on the floor as she stepped into the room, looking around. There was no bed, and she figured it was in the small chest of drawers. It was starting to get late, but she found that she wasn't tired.

She stood in the middle of the room, her mind going over and repeating what had happened that day, slowly going over the details. She stood there for what seemed like hours, until she realized that her legs were beginning to get sore.

She smiled sheepishly to herself and at her stupidity. Still, she didn't feel tired. She went to the window and opened it, feeling a rush of cold win brush against her face. She breathed in deeply, feeling more awake than ever. She sat down and leaned her head against the sill, listening to the sounds of the street under her.

Her mind was submerged in thought once again as soft white balls of snow fell from the sky.

_Enishi..._

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-

-

(Oh, my sister wonders how she could check into a hotel without knowing Japanese, to which I answer: Um, body... language...? I'm really not bothering with that problem)

Eh, I thought this chapter was kind of boring (I just had to clear some things up). BUT, don't go yet! It gets better!

Sanosuke: As if that's possible...

Kie: It is! Next chapter: ENISHI finally comes into the picture!!

Sano: In the form of a flashback.

Kie: (glares at Sano) Phooey! Shut up! Besides, it's a long flashback.

In any case, even if you're not gonna stick around and see, you should at least leave me a review! This story is slowly getting up to (what I think) are some interesting parts. It may be getting dragged out, but I can't help it!

So, REVIEW!! No flames, please, but constructive criticism helps out... a lot... seriously, TELL ME WHAT I DID WRONG!!

Also, if you can, then VOTE TOMORROW!! DON'T FORGET!! You live in a freakin' democracy, so go do it!!

Sano: You know, most of the people that read this crap are teenagers.

Kie: I know, but it doesn't hurt to try. (clenches fist in front of her as fire burns in her eyes) I have upheld my civic duty!!

-

-

REVIEW!!

-

-


	4. Running

Like I promised last chapter, Enishi's here! -grabs Enishi out of nowhere and glomps him fiercely-

Enishi: -turning blue as he mouths words HELP ME-

Sano: -rolls eyes- Anyways, hope ya like the chapter. -turns to mentally unbalanced authoress and blue Enishi- OI! Let go you otaku deathtrap! He NEEDS air!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 4: Running

She sprinted down the small street, jumping over small obstacles on the way while drawing strange looks from pedestrians. She couldn't help the small grin that sneaked onto her face. It had been a while since she ran.

To run, to just run, made her feel like she could escape anything sometimes.

The problem was, she always had to stop running at some point, then all that she had left behind would catch up with her.

She ran onto the small bridge, stopping to admire the calm river under it, breathing heavily as she caught her breath. She watched as the river went on its busy path to the ocean, never stopping and never resting. What would it be like to just be a river? To simply run all day?

She shouldered the sack on her shoulder as she watched the river, becoming fully absorbed in the small crescent waves that lapped against the posts of the bridge. She stepped up to the rail, craning her neck down to see better.

If she didn't find him, if he was gone, then would she start running again?

She stayed there, staring at the flowing river, drowning in a stream of memories.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He could hear the sounds of glasses clinking and chopsticks hitting bowls underneath the loud laughter of all the men and the women that were entertaining them. The elaborately dressed women giggled giddily at every bad joke that was said, and he could see the men's eyes light up as they looked at the entertainers longingly.

The sound was deafening.

He urged down an oncoming headache by pushing his temples with his fingers, closing his eyes.

Gods, he wished he could just skip this stupid party.

He was about to excuse himself when one of the captains stood up, holding his glass of wine and looking around with a beet red face.

"Let's not forget why we are here today," he said, his voice heavy with alcohol. He looked around the large hall, calling the attention of the men. "We are here to celebrate the union of our two clans under Master Enishi!" The hall roared in agreement, waving their wine around wildly, making his headache finally burst through. He held in a loud groan.

"To show our support, and our loyalty," the captain continued. "We all chipped in, with our new raises, and got you a gift." There was a buzz of excitement as a few servants pulled in a huge rectangular object on a cart through the door.

"No offense, Master Enishi," the captain said jovially, "but we think you need a little pick-me-up. Something that'll cheer you up and keep you warm every night." There was a small wave of mischievous laughter in the hall, presumably from the people that knew what the gift was. He kept a straight face as he looked at the large cart that was being pushed over to him. He could see bars under the silk covering as it swayed slightly.

What the hell had these men gotten him? A tiger?

"Let me say, Master Enishi," the captain said as he swaggered over to the cage. "That I chose this one especially for you, and I'll be a little more than disappointed if you don't like it." He gripped the silk covering as he turned to look at the anticipating faces of all the other men around him. With one final grin at Enishi, he ripped the covering off with an elaborate flourish, letting the covering fall to the ground with a flutter.

A girl dressed in a deep gold silk Chinese dress was sitting in the cage, head tilted down so he couldn't see her face. Her ebony hair was tied up in two braided buns at the bottom of her head, which were decorated with gold and black ribbons. She made no notion of noticing that the cover was now off, and seemed determined not to look up and to ignore the whistles from various men. Enishi's eyebrow went up a fraction of an inch.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Master Enishi," the captain said, obviously nervous. "She has the spirit of a tiger, and never obeys orders directly. Of course, we all know you will be able to tame her." Enishi didn't answer at the man's poor attempt at flattery as he reached into the cage and shook her shoulder. He could feel anger flare in her aura, but just as soon as it had appeared, it was gone. The man muttered something harsh towards her, and she finally gave in. She looked up at him.

He found himself looking into angrily cold slate blue eyes. A flash of surprise flickered through them, but he made no motion of noticing. They stared each other down for what seemed to be eternity, as if their faces had been set in stone, showing no emotion.

The captain said something again, and, although he hadn't heard exactly what was said, Enishi could feel the nervousness coming from the man. He kept frigid eye contact with the girl, even as she was being pushed out of the room, until she blinked and turned away. He also blinked, and realized that everyone in the hall was looking at him.

It seemed the future of his organization depended on his liking this gift.

So he gave a slight nod.

Even though this had been the worst present they had given him yet, including the pair of fuchsia slippers and bathrobe they had gotten last year. That may have been somewhat of a joke from one of his more audacious captains, but that didn't stop him from putting them on his Battousai dummy, drenching it in oil, and catching it on fire.

Grins broke out on all the men's faces as they toasted for the future, and the celebration continued.

He shifted in his seat, hiding his weariness with boredom.

Now he couldn't leave early.

--------------------------

She gripped the tree branch tightly as she shuffled along it with trepidation, looking down nervously at the ground beneath her. Her garment caught in a small branch, and she mentally cursed the wretched dress that hindered her as much as a pair of shackles would. She ripped the fabric loose and continued shuffling along the branch. She finally made it to the wall, and after a few hesitant glances at the street on the other side, she lightly jumped onto it. She stood up straight, balancing carefully as she walked down the wall to the stall that had been built against it.

All she had to do was slide down onto the roof then jump onto the ground, then she was out.

She hopped down to the packed ground and wasted no time in completing her escape into the dark city.

She was willing to once again become another faceless street soul just to get away from him.

The monster from her nightmares.

---------------------

Enishi walked into his room, throwing his coat onto the chair. He sighed, wishing that party would be his last, but knowing it wasn't. He was about to collapse onto his bed when he realized that the sheets had been disturbed.

Someone had been sitting in _his_ bed.

He frowned, making a mental vow to punish whoever had been careless enough to leave his bed how it was.

That's when he remembered the girl that had been given to him earlier that evening.

He partially raised an eyebrow, wondering where they had left the girl. He put two and two together, and realized she had probably been dumped on his bed.

But then, where was she now?

He walked into the next room, immediately noticing the opened door that led to the garden. He walked out to the large yard, noting the blatantly obvious trail that led to a large tree at the corner. It was tall enough to go over the large wall that cut his house off from the rest of Shanghai. He looked up into the branches, noticing a piece of gold silk that was stuck in the bark. He sighed as he began to climb the tree.

The girl had run away.

----------------------

She yawned widely as she continued walking briskly through the currently deserted streets of Shanghai, save for a few dormant bodies that were slumped against the shabby houses and shops. It would be dawn soon, but she had to keep going, she had to get as far as she could if there was even a shimmer of hope of escaping.

She could escape from the past ten painful years.

She pushed down the feeling that she knew was bogging up.

She knew that no matter where she went, even if it was on the other side of the world, he would still be alive.

And he would still be the one that killed her happiness.

She grimaced as she pushed the thought out, then put on a worn out mask of apathy that she had been wearing for so long.

She just couldn't care anymore.

"Where do you think you're going?" she heard a voice behind her say. A chill ran down her spine as she froze, slowly turning her head to see a man standing behind her. His aquamarine eyes were barely noticeable in the half light, although his white hair stood out fluorescently. She caught a gasp that had almost escaped her lips and forced it back down her throat.

He continued looking at her with a slightly annoyed look visible on the frown of his lips. She clenched her teeth and broke into a run, closing her eyes as she hurtled forward.

Suddenly she smashed into a very solid object, making her fall back as the object grabbed her wrist and held her steady. She hesitantly opened her eyes. This time the gasp broke through her defenses as she looked up into a pair of cold eyes, half hidden by dark blue sunglasses.

But he had just been behind her... Hadn't he?

"Unfortunately for both of us, I can't let you go," he frowned. "What would those idiots that gave you to me think if I let you escape?" The mask of indifference was gone as she glared at him coldly.

"I don't care," she hissed. "Let me go."

"No." He gazed down at her intently, and she found her eyes glued to his. They glared at each other for minutes as the sun's red gaze washed the shacks around them in an eerie blood red. She blinked, breaking the trance as she felt her hand begin to throb painfully in his hard grip. She bit her lip nervously as she clenched both her hands into fists.

"Let! Me! Go!" she yelled at him as she began to thrash in his arms. He didn't loosen his iron grip, however, and soon she began to hit him with her free hand repeatedly. She kept pummeling his hard chest with her fist until her hand began to hurt and her arm began to tire. She looked up at him, horrified to find that he had hardly flinched after her onslaught.

She doubled her efforts as she screamed loudly, waking the several people that were sleeping around them, drawing curious looks. He decided to end her futile efforts before anyone of importance saw him.

He swiftly grabbed her hand as she brought it down once again, making her shake both her arms fiercely as she tried to free them from his immovable grip. He didn't move however, and she was soon tired out, looking up at him with eyes laced with defeat and dread.

He felt his stomach churn in slight remorse.

"We have to go now," he said, almost gently. Her look deepened as she bit her lip nervously, feebly shaking her head. He could tell she had been beaten. "Let's go." He began to pull her forward, but she dug her heels into the ground, a final attempt at resistance. He gave her an annoyed weary look that clearly showed how he was tired of her, but she returned it by digging her heels in even deeper.

This girl's stubbornness rivaled his own.

But still, he wouldn't be beaten so easily.

He suddenly moved forward and scooped her up easily, slinging her over his shoulder like a sack. It took her a second to react from the shock, but soon she was yelling and screaming for nonexistent help, pounding his back with balled fists.

His eyebrow gave an involuntary twitch of annoyance as he walked back to his mansion.

He'd have to cut that tree down.

----------------------

He let her slide off his shoulder onto his bed, watching as she fell down in a crumpled and defeated heap. She had stopped yelling sometime during his walk back, finally accepting her downfall, but she didn't say or do anything as she remained slumped down in the silk comforters.

There was something unnerving about seeing someone with so much spirit seem so... broken.

"I hate you..." she said in a nearly inaudible whisper. His brow furrowed as he frowned at her.

"Would you have rather had me send my men to get you?" he replied icily. "Trust me when I say they would've done more than just carry you back here." She didn't answer as she clenched her fists in the sheets, gripping them tightly as her knuckles whitened.

"Don't blame me," he frowned. "Blame the bastards that sold you into prostitution."

"I wasn't sold," she muttered. "I was tricked..." He didn't answer as he turned his back to her, hardly feeling surprised. It wasn't uncommon to hear of young girls who were tricked into getting into debt or had husbands that were in debt. They were forced to pay it off by entering brothels and tea houses, becoming slaves for the rest of their lives.

"In any case, don't run away again," he said as he began to walk to the door. "At least here you'll be safe."

"From what?" she said as she stared angrily at his back.

"From Shanghai," he replied simply, turning his head to look at her. She gave him a defiant look.

"I'd rather be out there," she spat angrily. He rolled his eyes.

"Look, if it'll make you feel any better, I have no intentions of sleeping with you," he said, an irritated tone in his voice. She held down the surprise she felt, but he saw it flash through her blue eyes. She didn't answer as she kept glaring at him.

"I don't sleep with whores," he said as he turned and walked out the door. She grit her teeth as anger bubbled inside her.

"Good, because I don't sleep with thugs," she shot venomously back at him. He shrugged, ignoring her incomprehension of the difference between an arms dealer and a common street thug.

"Oh, by the way, what's your name?" he asked as he stopped at the doorway. She arched her eyebrows in slight surprise.

"My name?" she asked skeptically.

"What? You don't have one?" She shot daggers at him as he grinned slightly.

"It's... it's Mei-mei," she responded, looking away. He looked at her for a second more, then nodded listlessly as he finally stepped out of the room, leaving her alone.

She sighed heavily as she heard the door close, feeling relief flood her at the thought of not having to face him every night.

Then again, he could be lying.

She made herself comfortable in a sitting position, watching the door as if daring it to open.

What she would do if he did come, she had no idea. But she could at least make the whole experience miserable.

She willed her eyes to remain open as her eyelids drooped dangerously, watching the door intently.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"NO! Don't do it!!" a semi-faraway voice yelled, pulling her back to the present. She looked up, irritated at whoever had knocked her out of her thoughts. The young boy with light brown hair from Himura's dojo ran up to her, panting heavily.

"Don't... do it... it's not... worth it..." he said between gasps for air as he clutched the rail, supporting himself. Then he took in a deep breath.

"You can't give up everything just because you can't find him!" he said in one breath. She raised her eyebrow at him skeptically.

"What're you talking about?" she asked, looking at him while she rested the sack of rice on the rail. His eyes widened as scratched his face nervously.

"Um, well," he said, looking uncomfortable. "It's just, well, you looked... I mean, you seemed as if..."

"I wasn't going to jump," she said, laughing softly. "I have to finish this errand." She motioned to the sack she was carrying.

"An errand? Are you working?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes," she smiled. "I'm out of money and, well..." She didn't have to finish, since her stomach emitted a large and hungry growl. "Yes, that."

"Oh, er, sorry," he said, giving her a sheepish grin as he put his hand behind his head. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that. I was acting too much like Yahiko..."

"It's all right," she smiled, arching her eyebrow at his last comment. "I should be going now. I've wasted too much time catching my breath. Nice to see you again." She gave him a slight bow as she began to walk away.

"Hey, wait, um, where're you heading?" he asked.

"To, er, _Akabeko_," she responded, straining her memory to remember the name of her employer. His face lit up as he walked up to her.

"That's where I'm headed!" he said happily. "I'll walk there with you, um, if you don't mind, that is." He blushed slightly as she smiled down at him.

"No, that's fine, I could use the company," she said as she began walking. "I haven't talked to anyone since I last saw you five days ago." He grinned as he evened his stride with her.

Soon he was telling her about his time in Germany and how he had sworn to defeat his nemesis, Yahiko. He was gonna kick his ass soon then he would...

She listened as he continued talking, feeling happy to just have someone around her that she could understand.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Authoress' sugar burst:

(Note: The flashbacks aren't really _her_ flashbacks, so the point of view is still omniscient.)

I hope no one gets mad at her being so mean to Enishi. Very stark difference to the Mei-mei (you finally know her name!!) that's looking for him. But you've gotta realize that she spends some time with Enishi, and obviously something happens between them to change their relationship. There wasn't much of that in this chapter, since this was more about how they met again, but there will be later (really!). Also, the whole thing about her being a prostitute will be explained. I know, it seems to have come out of the blue, but there is reason... I think... You'll just have to wait and see.

**Reader Responses:**

**WhiteRabbit5:**Well, Yutarou did come back some time between the end of the Jinchuu ark to when Yahiko gets the sakabatou. Watsuki-sensei didn't specify, so I just sped up his return. He comes in handy in the next chapter and later when the story progresses. It is such a pain to keep translating everything, I'm glad it paid off with genuineness! Thanks for your great review! (wide eyed you're really good at analyzing stuff, geez)

**Liem:** Hi! (yay! you're still reading!!) Yeah, my brain was mush after the whole dialogue between her and Kenshin. Any more scenes with her talking to a non-chinese speaking person and I swear I'd burst. Oh, and I'm sorry, but Sano's not in this fic! (doesn't that suck? Sano: yes.) At this time he's probably getting drunk somewhere in America (remember how he left at the end?). Anyways, thanks for reading!

Oh, and you both commented on the manga thing (lol). No, I guess manga probably wasn't around at that time. But in one of the filler episodes (I think it was the one where Yahiko steals Kenshin's sakabatou, but I'm not sure) you see a stack of samurai manga that Yahiko had been reading (at least, I'm pretty sure it was manga). Hey, if they can do it and broadcast it all over Japan and the US, then I can put it in my fic! Mwa ha ha!!

Thanks for your comments, they've really kept me going... even though I've gotta admit that I wish I had more readers (ooo, I'm so selfish).

SO, if you are a new reader, THEN LEAVE A REVIEW TOO!! I'd appreciate it much.

-

-

REVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEW....

Sano and Enishi: SHUT UP ALREADY!! THEY GET IT!!

Kie: phooey...

-

-

Next Chapter: The white tiger is found! (ahh, symbolism...)


	5. Found

Chapter 5: Found

"I just had to give her work, the poor girl," Tae smiled sheepishly at Yutarou as

she glanced at the girl sitting in the booth not too far away. "You could practically feel her hunger! Anyway, I gave her an easy job…though it turned out to be harder than it looked, since it took a while to get her to understand what she had to do."

"I'll translate for you next time," Yutarou grinned. "But for now, could you bring out a pot of beef stew? I think it'd be best to just feed her for now." He noticed the reluctance in Tae (she was thinking of a certain moocher rooster-head), then added, "I'll pay."

"All right, coming right up!" she beamed as she walked away. Yutarou turned and went to sit by Mei-mei, who was currently gazing into nothing.

"Hellooo," he said as he waved his hand in front of her face. She blinked and looked up at him with a slightly startled face.

"Sorry," she smiled, "I was just thinking."

"I gathered," Yutarou grinned. "About what?"

"Just… things," she answered as her eyes misted over again.

* * *

**Past**

An enormous crash suddenly jerked her out of her uneasy sleep, making her bolt up in shock. She looked around wildly, brushing her hair out of her eyes as she remembered where she was. She stood up hurriedly, ignoring her body's protests from sitting up all night.

She made her way outside, using the same path she had used the night before, to find a huge cloud of dust partially obscuring her view.

When the dust finally cleared, she realized that the tall tree she had climbed the night before had been conquered, its branches cracked and leaves hanging limply as it lay sadly on the ground. Her "master" was standing beside it, expression indifferent as he shouldered a large, oddly shaped sword.

He didn't… had he really cut that down _by himself_?

"You're finally awake," he said, turning to face her as he grinned slightly. She frowned, crossing her arms and refusing to answer him. He glanced at the large tree, then back at her. "I figured I might as well get rid of any temptations." Her scowl deepened even more as she tightened her grip on her arms.

He walked to the porch, taking his sword and sheathing it. "Anyway, I'll be gone for the rest of the day. Find something to keep yourself busy, I don't care. Just don't leave the mansion." With that he walked calmly out of the yard, leaving her standing there emanating hatred.

When she finally reentered the house, she decided to explore her new living space. The part of the house she was staying in was huge, complete with several unused bathrooms and bedrooms. She figured this was the master's wing, since it seemed completely devoid of life. Even the servants that she knew had to be around seemed to keep away from this area.

As she was looking in one of the many closets for some clothes that could actually fit her, a small voice said, "Excuse me, madam." Mei-Mei spun around and was surprised to see a young girl standing before her, her head bowed. The girl looked up, meeting Mei-Mei's gaze shyly.

"I was ordered by Master Enishi to come and serve you," she said softly. "If you are in need of anything, please let me know."

"I have a servant?" Mei-Mei wondered in aloud. She had never been treated so well in any of the brothels.

"Yes," the young girl replied, bowing her head once again, "My name is Lindo."

"Okay," Mei-Mei shrugged. "I guess it'd be nice to take a bath…could you find me some clothes?" The young girl faltered, her eyes darting around the room nervously.

"I-I'm afraid there are no clothes suitable for you to wear here," she said. "We have never had the privilege of having a mistress, so there was never any need to buy clothes. I will go out to buy some immediately, but it may take a while. Please be patient."

"I don't need anything fancy," Mei-Mei shrugged distractedly, glancing at the pottery around her. "Just bring me a dress like yours." Lindo looked down, gazing at the plain white cotton dress that all the servants wore.

"Mistress, please!" Lindo replied, shocked, "I could never allow you to dress like a servant! I will go find something for you wear!"

"Forget it," Mei-Mei said, casting an appraising glance at Lindo. "I don't need fancy clothes, just bring me a cotton dress."

"Y-yes, ma'am," the young girl faltered, not daring to go against her mistress' wishes.

* * *

"Mistress Mei-Mei, lunch is ready," Lindo said, pushing in a cart as she looked at Mei-mei who was busily working at a table. 

"Almost done," Mei-Mei smirked contentedly. She pushed her work away from her so Lindo could serve her the hot stew. Soon she was slurping up the thick broth, always eager to eat in order to stave off the hunger that had plagued her during most of her youth. It wasn't until she was halfway done that she noticed Lindo gazing at the soup forlornly.

"Why don't you eat?" Mei-Mei asked, wiping her mouth indelicately.

Lindo looked startled, blushing with embarrassment at being caught, "Oh, no, I couldn't, Mistress Mei-Mei."

"It's okay, it'll be our secret," Mei-Mei smiled. "It's not like I could finish this by myself." Lindo looked around nervously, as if checking to see if anyone was watching, but she was obviously tempted by the thick stew.

"Well, all right," she said finally, serving herself a little bit on one of the extra plates. Soon both girls were eating in a comfortable silence, content to have each other's company.

"May I ask what you are working on, Mistress?" Lindo asked timidly after a while. Mei-Mei nodded, handing her a small bundle of fabric. The young servant took it gingerly, gazing at it with wonder and surprise.

"Is this…?" she asked, gaping.

Mei-Mei shrugged, "I hated that dress anyways."

"Won't Master Enishi be angry?"

"I won't care if he is," Mei-Mei replied nonchalantly as she stirred her soup.

"And who is it for?"

At this Mei-Mei smiled, "It's for whoever I can find."

* * *

Enishi closed his eyes for a few moments, trying to recollect his unusually indiscriminate thoughts. He couldn't concentrate on the tasks set before him during the meeting that day, although he had been very good at hiding it. He had to pinch himself to keep from falling asleep as his subordinates argued and babbled on and on. 

Perhaps a nice bath would wake him up.

He opened his eyes, turning to look out the window. They had nearly arrived at his mansion, and he watched as people scurried to the sides of the road as his carriage barreled through the crowded street.

Soon the carriage pulled to a stop in front of his mansion and he stepped out. As usual, he was bombarded by the greetings of his servants, which he thoroughly ignored as he walked to the gate. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a servant holding a basket in one arm move away from the gate down the street. There was something different about this servant, he noted, so he turned his head to look at them.

He watched as the young girl with pitch black hair tied into two buns quickly rounded the corner. He caught a glimpse of her face, and saw the unmistakable blue eyes set in a determined face.

So the girl was trying to run away. Again.

He turned abruptly and began to follow her as he gave an annoyed snort, leaving his baffled servants standing at the gate. They were about to follow, but he shot them a look that clearly said, "Don't follow me."

Enishi walked to the corner, glanced around, and saw the girl. She was down on her haunches, talking to a little street beggar girl. He couldn't see what it was, but the girl handed the child an object, making the child's eyes light up with delight. He watched as the child gushed out a thank you, then ran down the street away from him, clutching the object tightly. The girl stood up and walked a ways farther down the street, then to the wall. She knocked on the door, the servant's entrance, which opened to admit her. She closed the door behind her, oblivious to the observer watching from the corner.

Enishi remained emotionless as he turned around and walked back to the gate, thinking as he walked. Why would the girl be meeting a child in the street? She wasn't even supposed to be allowed out of the house. And what exactly was it that she had given the child? Enishi couldn't help thinking about all the enemies he had made these past ten years, all the powerful men that wanted him dead. She could've been making contact with them, conspiring against him. It wasn't unbelievable, as it had happened before with another servant. Needless to say, the servant had been killed and disposed of, and the syndicate controlling the spy had been taken over.

That's why there were people even in his own syndicate who wanted him dead.

He'd head her off and confront her now.

He stalked down the halls of his home with an air of deadly purpose, causing the servants to scuttle to the sides to avoid him at any cost. He knew exactly where he was going, having memorized every part of his mansion--including the servants' quarters. He glanced down halls and into rooms, hunting for his prey.

At last, he saw the girl as she hurried down a hall, still clutching the basket in one hand. He swiftly walked towards her, leaving her no time to react as he grabbed her by the wrist and pushed her against the wall, pinning her with a hard look from his cold eyes.

"What were you doing?" he growled menacingly as he gripped her wrist tightly, making her wince. She clenched her teeth and glared at him defiantly, making the anger in him boil. He slowly twisted her wrist, making her cringe and letting out a small gasp from her lips.

"I'll ask again, _what were you doing?_" his voice was dripping with venom, unsaid caustic threats thinly veiled. She gave him a pained, fearful look.

"You're hurting me," she said, a barely contained whimper. She looked at him again, but this time her eyes were small blue pools of sadness.

For the first time in his life, Enishi regretted being so menacing.

He loosened his grip slightly, allowing her a sigh of relief. She gave him a wary look as she reached into the basket over her arm. She pulled out a small object, and glanced at it nervously. He looked down to see what she was holding.

She was clasping a small rag doll that hung limply in her hands, looking up at him with curious round black eyes. He recognized the gold silk that made up most of the doll and its little Chinese dress. He gave her a skeptical look.

"When I was little I always wanted a doll," she said softly, avoiding his gaze and answering his unasked question. He stared at the doll, then at her.

She began to fidget under his gaze, feeling nervous and threatened, like a trapped animal. She turned her wrist slightly, silently urging him to let go.

He looked at his fingers that were wrapped around her wrist, and noticed something he hadn't before.

Thin pink lines crisscrossed on her pale white flesh, her blue veins visible under the thin layer of skin. He looked at her, and saw that she had her head turned away from him, her eyes downcast.

"How many times have you tried?" he asked.

"I've lost count," she muttered as she bit her lip miserably.

"And yet you're still here," he remarked. There was something in his voice that made her throat ache from holding back a sob and her teeth grit together in frustration.

He was mocking her.

"Please excuse me, Master," she said as she pulled her hand away from him and he let go. He didn't move as he looked down at her one more time. She was clenching her fist and was shaking slightly. He shrugged, and finally stepped to the side. As soon as she saw an opening, she gave him a slight bow and quickly strode away, fleeing from his hard gaze.

* * *

She stormed into her room, flung herself onto her bed and buried her face in her pillow. A storm of angry thoughts crashed through her head, disorienting her and making the sense of helplessness within her rise to extremes. 

Tears pooled in her eyes as her chest heaved with silent sobs, her throat aching and her face burning.

She would make him pay.

He would pay for all the pain he caused her. For every thin pink line that crossed her wrist, for every moment of suffering she had endured under countless men, for the complete loss she had felt that day when it snowed in Shanghai, she would make him suffer. She didn't know how, but she'd find a way.

She'd find a way to hurt him just as he hurt her.

* * *

Enishi stood outside her door, his face set in its usual scowl as he gazed down at the intricately woven carpet with his aquamarine blue eyes. 

There was something unnerving about hearing her quiet sobs, the sound of her body moving in the silk comforters as she squirmed with anger. These sounds entered his mind in such a vivid form, as if swirling together to paint a mental picture for him, that he could practically see the streams of tears running down her cheeks from her slate blue eyes as she gripped her pillow fiercely.

He couldn't stand it--he couldn't stand hearing her like that.

He gruffly walked away, grabbing his sword from where he had left it that morning, heading out to vent all this unexpected anger that had suddenly erupted in him, leaving the girl to sink in her despair.

* * *

**Present**

"Finally!" Yutarou cheered when Tae came, carrying a large pot of beef stew. He grinned at Mei-Mei, "Let's dig in!"

Mei-Mei smiled, picking up her chopsticks and scooping up the food into her bowl. They both ate voraciously, enjoying every bit of food that entered their mouths. Mei-Mei realized that her young friend was probably only stuffing his face so she could feel comfortable doing the same, especially since he kept glancing at her to gauge the speed he should be going. Once they were satisfied, she looked at him gratefully, smiling one of her rare true smiles and making him blush.

"Oh, hey, it's Kaoru-san!" Yutarou exclaimed happily as he turned his gaze, his face still red, to his friends--Kaoru, Kenshin, and Megumi--that were walking through the entrance.

"Yutarou, I thought you'd be here," Kaoru smiled. She noticed Mei-Mei, and bowed politely, "Konnichiwa, jou-san."Mei-mei bowed back, smiling slightly at the raven haired girl.

"Yutarou-kun, it's been a while," Megumi smiled, gazing down at her former patient. "How is your arm?"

"Much better, thank you Megumi-san," Yutarou grinned. "How's Aizu?"

"Fine, thank you."

He glanced at Mei-Mei, then said, "This is Mei-Mei, she's here from Shanghai."

"Oh," Megumi smiled politely at the Chinese girl. So this was the woman that had come looking for Yukishiro Enishi. "Pleasure to meet you." She bowed as Mei-mei bowed back. Kenshin also greeted the girl amiably, as if the fact that she was looking for someone that had tried to kill him not long ago didn't bother him at all. Yutarou had heard the story from Yahiko, and he was amazed at how calm Kenshin was. If it was him, he'd definitely be a bit more wary around the girl.

Kenshin, it seemed, was the only one that was truly calm around Mei-Mei. Though Kaoru was acting rather cheerful, it was obvious that there was something unnerving about Mei-Mei's presence, which probably had to do with the fact that she herself was also deeply worried about Enishi. Megumi, on the other hand, seemed to flat out distrust the girl, and was visibly keeping her distance.

Mei-Mei smiled, mostly to herself, then turned to Yutarou, "Excuse me, but I think I have to go now."

Yutarou's face fell sadly, "Aww, you can stick around and talk here for a while! I'll translate for you!"

Mei-mei shook her head, still smiling at the young boy, "No, it's about time I continued my search. Thank you for lunch, I am deeply grateful."

Yutarou sighed, but grinned, "No problem. Come by the dojo if you ever need help or anything."

She smiled one last time at him before getting up, but Kenshin stopped her.

"Have you had any luck yet?" he asked, his light blue eyeswarm with concern. Yutarou hurriedly translated, and Mei-Mei shook her head sadly.

"He seems to have completely disappeared," she said glumly. "But I have to find him." She looked at Kenshin with determination, and he smiled warmly as Yutarou translated.

"Try Rakuninmura," he suggested cheerfully. "It's where he is most likely to get help, and I doubt the police would've looked there." As soon as Yutarou translated, Mei-mei's eyes widened. She gushed a quick "arigatou" and hurriedly left the restaurant, rushing out into the street.

"That girl has a strong will," Kenshin noted. Megumi shrugged grudgingly, but Kaoru smiled happily.

Maybe she was the one that could help Enishi.

* * *

"Look, for the last fucking time, _I can't understand you_," Kuma growled in frustration at the young girl that was currently being restrained by two other men. She continued to glare at him, then let out a long string of Chinese words (many of which were probably cuss words). 

"This is stupid," one of the guys said. "Let's just boot her out of here. No one's allowed in Rakuninmura anyways."

"Idiots, she has to have an important reason if she came all the way from China," Kuma shot back, crossing his arms.

"Maybe she just got lost?" the other put in lamely. There was a moment of silence as they all pondered this.

Kuma sighed heavily, shaking his head, "Fine, boot her out of here already." They were stopped, however, by some loud and raucous singing that filled the air.

"Oh, well, what the hell! Oh, well, what the hell! Oh, well, what the--"

"Oibore, shut up already," Kuma frowned, "Can't you see we're in the middle of something?"

"Eh…?" the old man stopped, a large, almost toothless, grin spread across his face. He waddled up to Mei-mei, drawing his face up right next to hers.

She gave him the most intense glare she could muster.

He did, after all, have horrible breath.

"Hoh!" Oibore laughed, "This one has a strong spirit! I doubt she'll be a new resident, ne?"

"Nah, we don't know what she wants here," Kuma shrugged grumpily. "We can't even understand her."

"A poor little Chinese girl among a bunch of Japanese lowlifes," Oibore laughed heartily. "Sounds kind of romantic, doesn't it?"

"Idiot," everyone muttered in a single breath.

"Still," he continued, unperturbed, "Why not ask the one Chinese guy that's staying here?"

"Who?" Kuma asked, arching his eyebrows.

"The white haired fellow, of course!"

"How do you know he's Chinese?"

"Fool, one look at his clothes tells you!" All the men that were standing around glanced at each other, then gave a simultaneous shrug.

"Fine," Kuma sighed, "Not like there's any harm in it." The two guys that were holding onto Mei-Mei picked her up by her arms, causing her to give a shout of surprise and another string of curses as she flailed her legs around. None of them cared, however, and they casually made their way deeper into Rakuninmura.

* * *

"Let go, you bastards, or I swear by the graves of my ancestors that I'll castrate each and every one of you!" Mei-Mei yelled angrily, but to her dismay no one seemed to be listening to her, and it wasn't like they could understand her, anyway. At last she gave up, allowing herself to be carried to wherever they were taking her. It seemed, however, that the old annoying man was the one that was leading them. 

It had taken long enough to actually get here, and now this place was turning out to be more of a pain than ever.

She took this time to glance at her surroundings, noting the familiarity she saw between here and Shanghai. It seemed that it didn't matter what country you were in, there'd always be slums around.

She let out a small shriek when they finally dumped her on the ground, her face flushed with surprise. She cursed at them again, but stopped when she noticed the man that was slumped against the wall in front of her.

"E-enishi…" she gasped as she took in the blood stained white hair and dull green eyes.

* * *

Note: OMFG, I UPDATED! To any of you that have read this fic (-glances at WhiteRabbit-), you must all be pretty surprised. It took me a while since I had to remember just what I had planned out for this fic, and to remember where I was (I had to re-read it). Still, I'm getting back into this, and will probably be working on this too! 

Rakuninmura is where Kenshin experienced his hell on earth, and it's where all the losers go. Kuma is one of the guys that was at Rakuninmura (the guy with the eye patch that let Tsubame pass that one time). Oibore is the old guy with glasses that helped Ken-san out.

There will be more Enishi next chapter, and I'm hoping that will be ready pretty soon!


	6. Gifts

Chapter 6: Gifts

"Hey, Oibore, you've been pretty quiet," Kuma grunted as he looked down at the old man who was sitting with his back against a shack.

"Oh hoh hoh!" Oibore laughed, looking up and grinning widely at the man, "So you noticed! I didn't know you cared so much about me!"

Kuma frowned, his eyebrow twitching upwards, "Don't flatter yourself. It's just been so peaceful around here that I can't help noticing what's shut up."

"Heh, heh, I suppose you're right," Oibore laughed again, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, don't worry about me; this old man is just letting his mind drift, that's all."

"All right," Kuma snorted, turning away, "Just don't drift too far." Oibore smiled behind the man's back, noting the grudging concern in his voice.

"Don't worry, Kuma!" he exclaimed heartily as Kuma walked away, "I'll never be able to leave you for too long!" Kuma resisted the urge to turn around and hit the man on the head and instead attempted to keep a straight face as he continued walking.

Oibore chuckled to himself as he settled himself comfortably against the wall. He leaned his head back, and let his gaze fall on the girl that was sitting by the Chinese man.

_"Tomoe-nee-chan, it's a wagashi store! Buy me some?"_

_"Enishi-chan, you know you wouldn't eat dinner if you ate candy. Besides, you'd have to ask Father."_

_"Father?"_

_"Listen to your sister, Enishi."_

_"Aww, fine!"_

It had been years since Oibore's old memories had revisited him, years since he had heard the name "Enishi."

Yet she had whispered it, uttered it with shock, relief, and a sort of bittersweet happiness.

Just as he had felt when he discovered that man's true identity.

His son Enishi was alive.

He was alive, Tomoe.

-

"Enishi, please take off your shirt," Mei-mei said softly, kneeling next to him with a bowl of water and a rag. He didn't answer, and didn't even acknowledge that she was there.

He hadn't said a word to her ever since she arrived, and had only looked straight at her once.

But just that glance had shown her the pain and turmoil his heart was in.

His once calm and reassuring aquamarine blue eyes were clouded over, as if far away from this world; his dark tinted blue glasses were absent from his face, exposing those empty eyes; the once snow white hair was matted with blood and dirt, clumping together so parts of hit hung down instead of sticking out wildly; his clothes were torn, stained, and bloodied, hanging around his limp form and giving him an even more gaunt appearance. He was even stripped of his sword, and instead was feebly clutching a ragged looking book in his dirty hand.

This was not the Enishi she remembered.

"Why are you here?"

Mei-mei's eyes widened--this was the first time he had addressed her.

"I'm here to make you take your shirt off," she answered, still determined to finish her quest of cleaning his wounds.

"Why did you leave China?" His voice was hollow, devoid of almost all emotion.

"To find you."

"Why would you waste your time?" He was frowning now, as he usually did when he didn't understand.

"Take your shirt off."

"I don't need your pity."

She remembered the exact same words he had uttered that fateful day in Shanghai, when he had sat before her in an almost identical state. He was near death at that time as well, and she had saved him before.

She frowned, then put the bowl down as an air of determination surrounded her. She pushed him against the wall, surprising him so it seemed his blue eyes cleared up slightly, and began to unbutton his shirt.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he growled.

"I told you to take off your shirt," she frowned as she fumbled with the strange clasps. "Your wounds need to be treated before they get even worse than they are now."

"I told you I don't need your pity." He lifted his hand, as if about to strike her, and she looked up at him.

Seconds clicked by and neither did anything. He looked into the determined slate blue eyes that stared back at him. He remembered those eyes, he remembered Mei-mei, and he remembered that night in Shanghai. The familiarity of her scent around him relaxed him, and he let his arm drop lamely as his head drooped forward.

"I haven't seen you in five years," he murmured as her face softened and she continued to unbutton his shirt.

"I know," she whispered back, not looking up from his task and allowing him to study her sleepily.

"How did you find me?"

"I asked people."

And they both left it at that, remaining silent as Mei-mei once again attempted to save him from the hands of death.

* * *

**Past**

She sat with half lidded eyes outside, letting the breeze play with her loose hair as she combed it with her fingers absent mindedly. Her mind was visiting the only happy memories she could recall of her past, and they involved the Japanese family that had taken care of her so long ago.

She let herself give a small forlorn sigh as she glanced at the place where the giant tree had lain the day before, though now it was gone thanks to a dozen faceless servants.

She twirled her hair in her fingers as she vaguely considered the idea of attempting to run away for real, just to see him throw a fit.

That thought was quickly thrown out, however, as a twinge of fear resonated inside of her.

She scowled, feeling disgusted with herself for actually fearing this man.

She would not let him get the best of her.

Sounds from inside snapped her out of her reverie, and she looked up just in time to see the door open to reveal the evil one himself standing before her. She glared at him, causing him to give her a slightly bemused and annoyed look.

"Come inside," he stated simply, walking back through the door. She bored a hole into his back with her gaze, but stood up huffily. In the spirit of rebellion, however, she only stepped into the doorframe, refusing to completely obey him.

"You're being stupid," he said, giving her an exasperated frown. She felt a vein throb on her forehead, but didn't respond otherwise.

Enishi looked down at a large trunk by his feet, then at her, "Well? Aren't you going to open it?" She glared at him some more, hoping he'd get the idea of how much she hated him, but couldn't help sneaking glances at the large trunk.

It was big and it was for her.

He smirked as he watched her, practically sensing the inner fight that was happening in her head at the moment. Curiosity over hatred--which one would prevail?

He watched as she huffily made her way to the trunk, avoiding his mocking gaze.

Curiosity.

She undid the large latch of the trunk, and slowly lifted the heavy lid. Inside the first thing she noticed was a small black box and she picked that up first. She opened it to reveal a delicate wooden comb, lacquered with black and decorated with golden blossoms. She turned it over in her hands slowly, observing it at every angle as Enishi smirked inwardly at her obvious enjoyment.

She finally looked down at the remainder of the contents of the trunk, then stood up abruptly and went back outside, sitting down just as she had been before.

"You can keep everything else," she said casually. "I hate it." The inward smirk disappeared as suddenly as her remark had appeared.

He strode outside and stood above her, giving her a grim look, "What do you mean you hate it?"

"Is your Chinese still that bad?" she commented languidly as she began to comb her hair. "You can keep the rest of the trunk for your other mistresses."

"I have no other mistresses," Enishi hissed angrily, annoyed that his peace offering had been shot down so easily. "Those dresses are for you, and _you're_ gonna wear them." She glanced at him with a you're-disrupting-my-valuable-combing-time look, then stood up to face him.

"What good would a box of stuffy and over-decorated dresses do to me?" she stated irritably. "You already said you weren't interested in me, so why should I dress up for you? I'd rather just wear this and be comfortable than wear a bunch of muggy dresses in the middle of August."

"Well," he said through gritted teeth, forcibly attempting to keep his anger in check, "Then what _do_ you want?" She shrugged as a soft breeze blew her long ebony black hair around him, as if consuming him.

"Just something to keep me busy." With that she sat down, continuing the task of caring for her hair with the new comb, and ignoring him completely.

He growled at her obstinacy, but stalked back inside anyways.

She smiled contentedly to herself, happy to see she could irk him so easily. With the way everything was going, it wouldn't be that hard to make him suffer so much. She just had to come up with a plan…

A voice in the back of her mind, however, wondered just why he cared so much to buy her gifts when he didn't even want her.

-

"Mistress Mei-mei, you don't look so well," Lindo said worriedly as she fanned her mistress. Mei-mei mumbled something incoherent into the sheets, not bothering to move her head up. She was sprawled over her bed, every window thrown open in hopes to catch a breeze.

"E-excuse me?" Lindo asked feebly, not catching what she had muttered.

"It's too damn hot," Mei-mei repeated, lifting her head to look up at the girl with a look of intense boredom. "And I have nothing to do."

"If you spend all day sleeping and eating, you're going to get fat," a voice sneered. Mei-mei looked at the door, to see none other than Enishi standing there, his usual scowl set in his face.

"As if you care, _Master_ Enishi," she grimaced. "And twice in one day you have come to visit me, I am _so_ flattered." He quirked an eyebrow as Lindo jumped with fear, but to her relief, all he did was turn around and say "come."

Mei-mei scowled, clutching the sheets with anger, then exclaimed after him, "As if I'm your fucking cat! Why don't you 'come,' you ba--!" Lindo had thrown herself over her mistress, covering her mouth so the final words wouldn't be heard. Mei-mei gave her a look of betrayal, but Lindo whispered, "Please don't anger Master Enishi, there's never knowing what he will do when he is angry."

Mei-mei gave an angry snort, but nodded so that Lindo removed herself, then mumbled grumpily, "It's too hot to do anything, anyway."

By the time the two girls had made it into the main room, Enishi was waiting for them, a look of impatience on his face as he tapped his finger irritably. Lindo shrunk back, but Mei-mei managed to keep her ground.

"It's about time you came," Enishi grumbled, "Now open the door." Mei-mei was about to yell at him again, but was stopped when Lindo grabbed her wrist and gave her a pleading look to stop. She sighed, and walked over to the door that led into the sitting room, giving Enishi a last look of hatred before she pushed open the door.

There was silence. No one said anything as the young girl with the wide blue eyes stared ahead, a look of surprise on her face as her lips parted.

Mountains of books lay everywhere, piled on the tables and on the floors, obscuring a lot of the artwork that hung on the wall and sat amongst the mountains of literature.

She walked in silently, letting her gaze flow around the room as her fingertips slid over the covers of the dusty books. Never in her life had she seen so many.

"This ought to keep you busy, right?" Enishi stated. "There are enough books in here to fill up a store, but if you ever finish them, I can always get more." She didn't answer, having been too busy staring at the first page of a book she had opened to hear him. He felt a pop of annoyance within him, but it didn't have time to accumulate as she walked up to him and shoved the book into his face.

"What does this mean?" she asked, pointing at the first Chinese characters on the page. His eyebrows shot up into his long bangs as he looked past the book at her.

"You can't read?"

"What does it say?" she asked again, ignoring his previous comment. He sighed irritably, but took the book and looked at the first lines.

"It says 'Once upon a time,'" he said simply, handing the book back to her, "It's how all fairy tales start."

"Once upon a time…" she echoed, tracing the complicated caricatures with her finger.

"So you can't read?" he asked again, feeling disappointed that he had to waste time getting all those idiots to bring in those books, not to mention to "persuade" that book keeper to sell him his store.

"No…" she replied absent mindedly, "But I've always wanted to learn." She glanced up at him, and for once loathing and animosity were absent from her eyes. "Thank you."

Enishi hid his surprise and only shrugged, "I won't have time to teach you, but I can get you a tutor."

"I-I could teach Mistress Mei-mei," a small voice said, "If Master Enishi permits it." Enishi looked behind him to the forgotten servant that was standing by the door, as if attempting to take up as little space as possible.

"You can read?" he asked her, surprised that a simple servant could do such a thing.

She nodded nervously, her face burning, "Father taught me before he passed away." Enishi glanced at Mei-mei, who was still engrossed in the book she couldn't read, and nodded.

"Fine, I'll let you do it." He looked at the young girl who was smiling humbly. "I'll get some writing tools and up your pay." The girl beamed, and bowed deeply in thanks. Enishi walked past her to the door, but stopped before he passed through it.

As he looked back, he saw the servant walking up to an eager looking Mei-mei, who was now shoving the book in her face and asking her what the next line meant.

He smiled to himself as he saw Tomoe gazing down at him with a content expression.

* * *

**Present**

"I have something for you," Mei-mei said as she strode up to Enishi, who was still slumped against the wall but was looking noticeably cleaner. "Here." She handed him a large bento box as he looked up at her lazily, but he let his gaze fall again and didn't make a move to take the food. She scowled, her grip on the box tightening as she felt a wave of exasperation flooding over her.

She slumped down beside him and opened the box, taking out the chopsticks and snapping them in half. She put the box on the ground in front of her, picked up some food with the chopsticks, and suddenly turned and plugged Enishi's nose while stuffing the food into his mouth. He nearly gagged as he fell to the ground, but she continued wrestling him down until he had swallowed what she gave him. When he finally did, she let him go.

He bolted up and yelled, "WHAT THE HELL?"

"Are you still hungry?" she asked with a dangerously sweet voice, holding the chopsticks in front of her threateningly.

"Hell no!" he yelled, standing up suddenly to his full height with the indignation of being force fed. Suddenly the blood rushed from his head, he paled suddenly as his stomach cramped and his legs gave out. He fell forward, but she attempted to catch him and cushion his fall.

"Enishi! Enishi!" she exclaimed as they both fell on their knees, his head on her shoulder. "What's the matter!" He felt himself shaking, sweat mounting on his forehead as his temperature rose and his stomach continued doing summersaults. Everything around him began to start swirling, and he knew he was going to be sick. He turned to the side to avoid Mei-mei, then threw up the mouthful he had eaten along with a stomach full of acid. His eyes burned as he blinked heavily, feeling weaker by the minute.

Mei-mei lay him down on his back, watching him take shallow breaths as she wiped his mouth with her handkerchief. "Enishi, talk to me," she breathed, "What's hurting you? Is it the food I gave you? I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" His eyes were rolling in their sockets, but he managed to look at her a final time before he slipped out of consciousness.

Her eyes widened as she held his head in her hands, "Enishi!"

* * *

Note: Ahh, I got more reviews for the last chapter, which inspired me! (Yes, I'm that shallow).

I'm having fun writing this and am happy to have gotten the spark of it back! Whee!

**Reviewer Responses:**

**Liem:** Heh heh, glad that you found Enishi's wrath against the poor tree funny. I'm really trying hard to keep him in character, but Enishi's a difficult character and I'm not sure how well I'm succeeding. Oh well, it could be worse, ne? I mean, he could be prancing around hugging Mei-mei and stuff. That would just be sickening (not to say that there won't be any cuddling, because I love cuddling!). Thanks for sticking to this fic, I really, _really_, appreciate it.

**FairyMage:** Thank youuu! I'm glad you reviewed, it makes me feel very happy though I'm a bit guilty since I'm making you read a fic about a character you don't necessarily like. If you really find it painful to review, then please don't, I don't want to bring about any more displeasure than necessary. Yah, I agree that the early chapters were dark, but I was also really depressed back then. I'm a bit more happy now, which may be a bit noticeable since I've put in jokes and stuff. You beta'd this chapter, right? I'm pretty sure you did, but I don't necessarily remember. Still, I'm pretty sure you did….

**WhiteRabbit5:** And so I've delivered another update. Gotta admit that I've been holding out, since I've had this chapter ready for a while. I was just kind of deflated when I only got one review (like I said, shallooow!), but now sessha is happy and ready for more Enishi torturing! Thanks for reviewing, I really appreciate it (-hugs!-).

**Kenni:** Yay, I'm well organized! Ha, thanks for reading!

**HarukoSohma:** Heh heh, ya, I know what you mean. I have a Sano/OC fic and I usually _hate_ reading Sano/Megumi fics and such. It feels personal for some reason, ne? Anyways, I'm glad you think my fic is good! Coming from a fellow Enishi/OC fic writer, that makes me very happy! (where'd you get "Haruko" from? FLCL?)

So, I'm working on the next chapter and will have it out as soon as I damn well feel like it. Ha!

DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE MAH REVIEW! Or else I won't update. Really. I won't. (-suggestive glare-)


	7. Sensei's

Chapter 7: Sensei's

"No…I can't believe…I lost to you…" Yahiko gasped in agony as he lay sprawled on the floor.

"Baka, your fate was sealed as soon as you challenged me," Yutarou spat back, shouldering his bokken with a grim smile on his face.

"You truly are…number one…gah…"

And with that, Yahiko passed out, letting the bokken in his hands clatter to the ground as Yutarou was suddenly overcome by a wave of fangirls, all squealing happily and yelling "Yutarou-kun! Yutarou-kuuun!"

Oh yeah, life was good.

"Yutarou-kuuun! Yutarou!"

There was something familiar about their voices, though…

"Yutarou!"

Hmmm…he'd think of it sometime…

"Wake up!"

Yutarou shot up in bed, his eyes darting around him as he sleepily muttered, "S'matter…?"

"Yutarou, please, help me!" Yutarou's eyes finally focused as he blinked the sleep out of them, and he saw a pair of large and frightened wide blue eyes staring at him.

"Ack!" he yelled in surprise as he fell back onto his futon, "…Mei-Mei…?"

"You're awake!" she exclaimed in a hushed voice, "Thank the gods!"

"What're you doing here?" Yutarou asked, sensing the urgency in her voice.

"I need a doctor," she explained hastily, "Yutarou, he's sick. He's so sick. I don't know what to do." He could almost feel the desperation radiating from her as she grasped his hand with a trembling hand. "I need help getting a doctor. Please, come with me to find one."

"Doctor?" Yutarou echoed, and one person instantly popped into mind. "Sure, I'll help you."

-

"Calm down, calm down, I'm coming!" Megumi yelled out as she made her way to the front door of the clinic. "Why on earth must you be so loud in the middle of the night!" she exclaimed as she threw the door open.

"Takani-sensei!" Yutarou exclaimed as soon as the door opened. "We need you!"

"Eh, Yutarou-chan?" she said, eyes widening, "What's the matter? Has someone gotten hurt at the dojo? It's just like the old days, only it can't be that rooster this time."

"No, it's not that!" Yutarou explained hastily as he pointed behind him. Mei-Mei was standing anxiously, wringing her hands as she bit her lip with worry. "She's found him! She's found that Enishi guy! It's just that he's in really bad shape and she needs a doctor!"

But all Megumi could mutter as her heavily lashed eyes widened in shock was, "Yukishiro…? Alive…?"

"Come _on_!" Yutarou yelled exasperatedly, knocking her back to her senses. She hurried down the hall, got her medicine box, and followed the already departing Chinese girl as she led the way to their destination.

* * *

**Past**

Enishi shouldered his watou, stepping outside into the bright afternoon light. Everything, at least for now, had been taken care of. Finally he could take a break.

It was only until he made his way out into the yard that he noticed a large bundle of blankets on a chair on the porch. He quirked an eyebrow when he realized it was Mei-mei, sleeping soundly with a book clutched in her hands, as if she had fallen asleep reading it. It had been several months since she began learning how to read, and he often found her with a book under one arm whenever he saw her.

He ignored her and began his kata, fluidly bending his legs and positioning his sword as it swung through the air with deadly precision. He had memorized the book Tantou Housen, the guide to his Watoujutsu, a long time ago, and now merely sharpened his skills whenever he had the chance.

As soon as his plans were completed, he would have acquired the strength to crush _him_.

Enishi's sharp ears picked up the sound of rustling fabric.

"What are you doing?" she asked sleepily. He turned his head to look and saw her stretching luxuriously as she slipped out from beneath the large comforters, placing the book down gently.

"It should be obvious," he stated simply as he stepped into another kata. He had answered her question, but he could still feel her watching him, the back of his neck prickling under her gaze. Finally, he could stand it no longer and turned to face her with an annoyed, "What?"

She cocked her head to the side and asked innocently, "You're an arms dealer, right?"

"Yes."

"Then why do you use a sword?"

He shrugged, "It would be pointless to defeat the one I want to kill with a fire arm." He grinned evilly. "I want to beat him to the ground in his area of expertise."

"Oh?" she asked, raising her eyebrows slightly but showing no other sign of surprise. She walked toward him and held out her hand, "May I see it, _Master_?"

He frowned. She only called him "master" when she was either mocking him or asking him for something (e.g. more books). He looked at her, but saw that her face was candid, a small smirk on her face.

"Fine," he finally muttered, seeing no harm in letting her hold the sword.

She grasped the hilt with both hands, but felt the opposite tip fall slightly as he let go; it was extremely heavy, yet he handled it so easily and with such grace. She lifted it so she could examine the hilt more, then traced the blade with the tips of her fingers. It was so cold, her reflection gazing back at her on the pale blade. Something so deadly… yet it was so beautiful, she thought as she ran her fingers over the large hilt.

As he watched her gaze at the sword, he couldn't help noticing her reflection in the large blade. Her frigid blue eyes seem to glint more in the metal than in any mirror in the house.

"It's interesting," she said finally as she handed it back to him. He quirked his eyebrow. "Interesting"? His sword was "interesting"?

He said nothing as he took hold of his sword again, expecting her to go back to her book, or at least move away so he could get started again. Instead she did nothing, gazing at it with a mystic expression on her face.

"Who are you going to kill?" she asked suddenly, her gaze not shifting from the sword. He said nothing, realizing now that this was what she had been after from the beginning. Screw the sword, she just wanted to know who he planned to kill.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked placidly.

She shrugged, now looking up at him with a similar look of indifference, "You're always either working or practicing; I just want to know why you put so much energy into it when you could be enjoying yourself in a teahouse like every other male in Shanghai."

He gave her a look of annoyance, "Teahouses don't interest me."

"Obviously," she snorted. "But why waste time trying to get stronger physically when you have an army's worth of artillery? Why not just completely wipe out your enemy?"

"Because that kind of revenge would be a waste of my time," he said simply.

"Revenge?" she echoed, not bothering to mask her interest. She didn't ask who it was, but simply continued looking up at him, obviously expecting him to either elaborate or tell her to screw off.

She wouldn't forget this conversation, and she'd tail him until she got her answers if he didn't appease her now.

"He killed my sister," he stated icily as she watched a flash of anger pass through his aquamarine eyes. It's not like it was a secret; he had no problem saying the past ten years' work was done to kill one man.

"Oh…" she said rather lamely, and he was mildly surprised to see her sadden slightly. "I see."

For some reason the silence seemed more awkward than it usually did, and Enishi resisted the urge to jump on the roof to get away from her troubled expression.

"Where is he now?" she asked, her eyes unfocused as she looked at a point besides his elbow.

"Japan."

"And you're going to kill him?"

"No." She looked up at him with a slightly startled look to see he was smirking viciously. "I'm going to make his life a living hell first."

"Hmm," she murmured vaguely as her eyes traveled up and down his body. She could see his chiseled arms holding the large sword, which was propped on his shoulder, and a faint outline of muscles showing from underneath his sleeveless shirt. He was strong, one of the most powerful men in Shanghai.

He would be able to kill this man and take revenge for his sister.

But what did she have?

Nothing.

"Teach me," she said suddenly, looking up at him in time to see the look of surprise on his usually composed face.

"What?" he asked, a white eyebrow disappearing into the messy fringe of bangs.

"Teach me how to use a sword," she repeated, her brow knitting in determination.

"Why?" he asked, not understanding why she had the sudden urge to learn Watoujutsu.

She shrugged, "If you're going to go to Japan, then that's when I'll have the chance to run away. Still, I'd rather be able to defend myself in case you decide to leave one of your lackeys around to keep an eye on me."

At this he smirked, silently admitting to himself that she would definitely need to be able to defend herself if she was going to keep that attitude around other men.

"Fine," he said, "Go grab a sword from the armory." He pointed to a small building on the other side of the yard. She gave him a fleeting grin as she turned and headed to the closet-sized building, wondering if he had any idea just what he had gotten himself into.

* * *

**Present**

"Get lost," he growled once more, waving his hand gruffly at the three people standing before him. "It's one thing to let a girl in, but to have her bring along an entourage is ridiculous. Rakuninmura is not a place for a doctor and a shrimp, so get lost."

"Who the hell are you calling a shrimp?" Yutarou yelled indignantly at the large man blocking their way. He reached behind him and grabbed the shinai that was strapped to his back, holding it before him as he spread his feet into a defensive position, getting ready to fight his entrance into Rakuninmura.

The large man laughed, causing the other misfits around him to cackle as well, "Listen, just turn back now before we have to throw you out."

Yutarou gritted his teeth, knowing for a fact that he wouldn't be able to take on all the men guarding the entrance.

"DAMMIT!" Mei-Mei yelled out in Chinese, and before he knew what she was doing she had taken his shinai. She held it over her shoulder, parallel to the ground, as she crouched slightly. "Get out of the way," she growled to the men, who didn't need a translation to know what she meant.

"I think it's time for you to leave," the man said stiffly as the others cracked their knuckles. He charged forward, but not before she had sprung toward him and stabbed his shoulder fiercely. Had it been a real sword, Yutarou doubted that man would still have an arm. She continued to attack all the men who charged towards her, stampeding through them as Megumi and Yutarou followed hurriedly behind her.

"Dang!" Yutarou grinned in admiration. "She's strong!" Megumi didn't reply, feeling uneasy at seeing Watoujutsu once again.

The shinai was ill-suited for Watoujutsu, and she could feel herself tiring as hundreds more bums seemed to crawl out of nowhere. She wouldn't be able to last much longer, but she at least had to get to Enishi.

"STOP!" a loud voice yelled out. Suddenly all the ragged men stopped, looking in astonishment at the old man Oibore. He was standing outside the ring of unconscious men and had a grave expression on his face. No one had ever heard him raise his voice before.

"Please," he said in a quiet voice that nonetheless traveled to every ear in the yard, "Let them pass."

"Hey!" said the large man, who was getting up off the ground and clutching his shoulder, "Oibore! You know the rules! It's not up to you who gets to pass through!"

"That's right, it's up to all of us," Kuma agreed, appearing from behind a decrepit building. "If we don't want them coming in here, old man, there's nothing you can do."

Oibore said nothing, but gazed at Kuma with a piercing look that was foreign to the old man's face. "Please," he pleaded quietly.

Kuma was taken aback. He almost had to wonder if it really was Oibore, who had often sung "oh well, what the hell" repeatedly to the point of annoyance, that was standing before him. Kuma glanced at the others around them with a grave expression, and noticed that they, too, saw how strange Oibore was acting.

Then, as if they all suddenly came to an understanding, they all parted, leaving an open path for the group to escape the surrounding miscreants. Mei-Mei, Yutarou, and Megumi were now free to get to Enishi. No one else would stand in their way.

Mei-Mei gave an appreciative look at Oibore, who simply smiled cheerfully back. As quickly as the other Oibore came, he was soon gone.

"Heh heh!" he laughed heartily as groups of men ambled by clutching injured limbs, "That's what you get for picking on a girl!"

-

"He's simply malnutritioned," Megumi said with a doctor's voice, "Just keep feeding him, give him this medicine—" she handed a small bag to Mei-Mei, "--change his bandages, and he'll be fine." Yutarou quickly translated for Mei-Mei, and she smiled gratefully.

"_Arigatou_," she said as she bowed her head.

"I'm just…doing my job," Megumi said tiredly as she packed her things. A piece of her that still hated Yukishiro Enishi was yelling at her for helping him, while the other piece of her was yelling at herself, hating the fact that she hated the pitiful bandaged man that was lying beside her on a dirty straw mat.

She smiled at Mei-Mei, "Come see me if you run out of bandages." Then she looked at Yutarou, who had just finished translating for Mei-Mei, "We should get going. Kenshin is probably worried."

"You think he noticed?" Yutarou asked, dusting himself as he got up.

"I'm sure he's known ever since she snuck into the dojo," she said wisely. Yutarou suppressed the small bubble of worry in his chest, wondering what Kaoru would think if she found out he ran off with a girl at night, then turned to Mei-Mei with a grin.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," he said in Chinese.

"He'd better be," she smiled weakly, "I didn't come all this way just so he could die."

Yutarou laughed, "Well, I guess I'd better go now."

She nodded at him, "Thank you."

"Anytime," he smiled. As he walked away with Megumi he turned his head to look back, watching as she brushed the hair out of Yukishiro's eyes before settling against the wall to sleep.

"Don't," Megumi said with a coy grin on her face.

"Don't what?" Yutarou asked, snapping his head back.

"Don't fall for older women," she smiled behind her hand, "They'll bring nothing but trouble."

"I'm not falling for her!" Yutarou yelled back, even though he couldn't keep the redness out of his cheeks.

He looked back at Mei-Mei just as they turned the corner, and couldn't help feeling a little disappointed that she had to stay here.

* * *

Note: Yes, Mei-mei kicks ass. After living with Enishi, why wouldn't she?

This chapter was a bit more iffy than the others (as I'm sure my beta reader noticed), but thanks to said beta reader, it's a lot better than it was before! Which is good, because I shall be leaving tomorrow and won't have a chance to update while I'm gone. Ahh, da beach awaits me XP.

(-evil insane cackle of doom and stuff-) Meh heh, me gets to see MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE this fall! I'm happy, can you tell? (-happy thoughts of Gerard Way-)

**Reviewer Responses:**

**WhiteRabbit5:** It's okay, Enishi-chan is just hungry! Well, that's what happens when you almost never eat. I think that's why he's so cranky all the time. Anyway, honestly, Mei-mei kind of surprised me. When I first started this fic, she didn't really have a set personality. I kind of like her being bad ass, but only because those rebellious chicks are so cool to me. Meow, I do like the past-present-boy-meets-girl thing, though, in my defense, my other fic isn't like that! lol I think it just gives more drama and such, and gives more of a chance for fuzzy moments :3. Gomen, my next chapter of ASoF my take a while, since I _know_ what's gonna happen but can't make myself _write_ it. Argh (-immense frustration at self-).

**FairyMage:** Heh heh, sorry 'bout that, but you should know that I wouldn't post a chapter without you! I value your input a lot, and like how you make my writing seem better. I honestly didn't like this chapter at first, but I was all like "screw it" and just sent it to you. I just re-read it, and I like it much better, thank you. I'm happy you're reading the Jinchuu ark again! It's my favorite ark, and I'm planning on actually _buying_ the manga (rather than downloading scanlations) when it's released here (the American translation of RuroKen isn't that bad, at least I don't think so). Maybe you'll like Enishi-chan more! I personally think he's a great character with a lot of depth and drama, and it's so easy to aggravate him. It doesn't hurt that he's _hot_ either. (-grin!-)

**Liem:** Ahh, do you know how much I like your reviews? Well, good thing _someone_ can see Enishi prancing, maybe there's hope for the guy! Heh heh, what happened between Enishi in Mei-mei is what keeps the fic interesting! Expect cliffhangers just about every chapter until the end (_especially_ near the end). MWA HA HA!

**Kyouko:** Merf, trying…so hard…to update…faster…not working…(-dies-). Please bear with me, I'm trying hard and I hope you stick around! If you read to the end, I shall give you a cupcake!

**HarukoSohma:** Meow! Well, Fooly Cooly is an anime where a freaky alien chick named Haruko comes and starts whacking people with guitars and running them over with her vespa. A bit strange, but really good all the same (I recommend it!). lol Yeah, Enishi and Haru _are_ alike! They both seem all cool and stuff, but when you tick them off…(-shiver-). They're both really hot, too (-happy sigh-). Do you watch the anime or manga of Fruits basket:3

**Enishifans:** No! Don't just drop in! You should leave reviews for the chapters you read! PLEASE! (-desperate-). Nah, I'm just kidding (though I would like you to leave more reviews), I'm just glad you like it! Thank you!

**Kenni:** Mwa ha ha, so many questions, so little answers. You know I'd never answer the questions you're asking, right? That'd ruin the story for you! I hope you stick around to see what happens. And, yeah, I think the way you described their relationship is exactly how I think it is. Glad someone else thinks so too!

So, I got 7 reviews for the last chapter. SEVEN! I LOVE YOU ALL!

Please don't disappoint me. When I get back from Mexico I really want to see at least a few reviews for this chapter. If not…I'll be very sad and kill Enishi.

Enishi: Damn you, woman.

XD


	8. Invitation

-

Chapter 8: Invitation

-

Sounds filled his ears, the soft humming of the early morning rousing him from his sleep. He was vaguely aware that he was on his back, and he opened his eyes slowly to see a bright blue sky hovering over him.

He wanted to sit up, but found that his limbs seemed to be made of lead. He wondered dimly if he had died.

_Nee-san…? Are you here?_

"Hello! What's this?" a loud and obtrusive voice suddenly exclaimed. Enishi tried to look around, but found that his head ached whenever he tried to move it. Why was he so sore?

A large mass of hair was suddenly in his line of vision. It took a minute for the shock to dissipate, and another minute to discern the pair of glasses and crooked smile within the mass of hair.

That old man was here?

Damn, that meant he was in hell.

"I was wondering when you'd be up!" he exclaimed happily, and Enishi could see a pair of crinkled eyes glinting behind the dirty glasses.

"Wha—what?" Enishi asked, his voice as hoarse as if he hadn't spoken in years.

"You're probably wondering why you're still alive, aren't you?" the old man grinned. Enishi screwed his eyes shut, then opened them again to see that the old man hadn't disappeared.

That meant he really was alive.

"That's right, sonny!" the old man laughed at Enishi's obvious bewilderment. "You're alive! And you know why?" Enishi didn't answer, but simply gazed at the old man. Another crooked grin was on his face, and he pointed to Enishi's left. "That little Chinese girl there had the nerve to break through Rakuninmura's defenses to bring a doctor to help you! You should have seen it, boy; I mean, she was swinging that little sword around like her…"

But Enishi had stopped listening. He turned his aching head slightly to the left and found a bundle of clothes set against the wall of the old shack. He blinked a few times, and soon realized that the bundle of clothes had a head, and that head belonged to Mei-Mei.

She was curled tightly in a ball, her petite figure seeming even smaller in that vulnerable position. He could see the top of her head, her black hair dirty and unkempt.

He turned his head back and let his eyelids droop. Soon they had closed completely, and Oibore's rant was a distant sound in the land of dreams.

Dreams of women with pitch-black hair and snow-white kimonos covered in crimson blood.

* * *

**Past**

_Swish._

She couldn't help smirking to herself; the sound of the large sword in her hands flying through the air gave her a certain sense of… freedom. She had never experienced what it was like to have power in her hands.

_Swish._

The sword stopped abruptly above her shoulder as she gazed at the reflection of her eyes staring back at her. Those eyes, burning with determination and looking back from a face that was covered in sweat, were really hers. No longer were they indifferent to her surroundings. No longer would they simply watch as someone took advantage of her.

_Swish._

This was power.

_Swish._

This was freedom.

She let out a controlled breath as she finished the final kata, then shouldered the watou.

Wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, she gazed at the courtyard around her. A calm silence that was unique to the very early morning had settled comfortably around her. She was sure that only a handful of people were out in the streets this early, and they most likely were shopkeepers getting ready for another busy day.

She took in another deep breath, loving how the crisp air felt within her. As she let it out she glanced at the sword on her shoulder. It had been a few months since she had begun learning Watoujutsu, and she was sure it had been a little over a year since she had been delivered to Enishi.

She headed to the armory to put away her sword, her face darkening.

Yukishiro Enishi, the man she hated above all others, had spent the past few months teaching her how to kill. She smiled grimly, thinking about how foolish he was, teaching a servant the deadly ways of the sword.

Her smile faltered, however, when she considered the fact that she had been living with him for more than a year and yet had not succeeded in causing him true pain.

Unacceptable. Simply unacceptable.

-

Mei-mei stepped out of the bathroom, comb in her mouth as she toweled her hair, and made her way to the small dining room. Sure enough, a large breakfast had been set out for her and Enishi. She sat down in one of the chairs and helped herself to some soup just as Enishi himself walked in.

He glanced at her, but otherwise made no sign of noticing her as he walked through the room and to the door opposite from where she had emerged. She was sure he was heading to the bathroom, and sure enough, five minutes later, he was back with a towel around his neck.

"Heading out?" she asked politely, causing him to stop and look at her.

He nodded curtly as he headed to the door that led to his own room. He returned once again with the towel off and a jacket draped on his shoulder.

"When should I expect you back, _Master_?" she asked, smiling coyly.

He narrowed his eyes at her in annoyance, but she only smirked in response.

"I'll be back early tonight," he stated as he grabbed a roll off the table.

"Really now?" she said, arching her eyebrows in surprise. He usually didn't come back until late at night. She watched him scarf down the roll, watching for signs of uneasiness or foreboding.

As he finished the roll, he stepped to the door once again, but this time he stopped before it, as if a thought had suddenly occurred to him.

He turned his head to consider her with one eye. "There will be another annoying banquet tonight. To avoid dealing with all the whores, I've decided to take you with me. Be ready by eight-o-clock." And without allowing her a chance to object, he strode through the doorway and disappeared.

She was left with a morsel of food halfway to her mouth, looking at where he had been standing seconds ago with shock.

A _banquet_? He was inviting her to a _banquet_? She had hardly stepped out of this wing since she first arrived, and now he was suddenly inviting her out to a _banquet_?

"What the hell!" she suddenly exclaimed, dropping her chopsticks into the bowl of soup.

"What is it, Mistress Mei-Mei?" a small voice suddenly asked, and Mei-Mei realized that Lindo had entered the room. Mei-Mei couldn't help smiling at Lindo's obvious apprehension, probably thinking that Mei-Mei found something about the food unacceptable.

If Lindo would stick around whenever Enishi was around, she would've heard why Mei-Mei was so shocked.

"Well," Mei-mei began, looking back to the doorway, "I guess I've got a party to get ready for."

-

"You look lovely, mistress," Lindo smiled nervously, as she usually did when giving her opinion. "I think the Master will be pleased."

Mei-mei couldn't help frowning at the thought.

She looked at the full length mirror before her, examining her meticulously prepared appearance. Her hair was up in an elaborate bun, quite different from the simple two buns or braid she usually gathered it in, and was decorated with a few different clips and ties. She was wearing a midnight blue dress that almost looked black, a silver crane stitched into the bottom corner as light petals of white snow fell around it. She had on makeup for the first time in a year, her lips blood red and her eyes rimmed in black.

The eyes she remembered from that morning, gazing back at her from the blade of a sword, were gone, replaced by the hard and chilling apathy of her old gaze.

"Are you ready?" she heard him say. She turned her head, glancing at him as she realized he had just stepped into the room. She looked around, and, sure enough, Lindo was gone.

"I suppose," she replied, turning to face him.

She watched as his eyes traveled from the top of her hair, taking in each ornament, and down her face, noting the makeup, and to her body. She couldn't suppress a shiver, thoughts of her previous life coming back to her.

He was, after all, still a man, and all men could be tempted by lust.

"Let's go," he said, turning away from her and her obvious discomfort.

-

They sat in silence in the small carriage as it made its way down the busy streets of Shanghai, heading to the red light district. Mei-Mei had compressed herself in the corner, trying to get as far away from him as she could while still trying to look indifferent. She hadn't forgotten how the look in his eyes had changed as he had taken in her appearance. She refrained from biting her lip, not wanting to ruin her lipstick, but clenched her fists into the fabric of her dress instead.

Enishi studied her from the opposite corner, following her thoughts with the expressions that surfaced on her face. Something had made her truly cagey, and he easily noticed how she was trying to avoid him, even if they were packed into the same little carriage.

He knew what was bothering her, and it bothered him, as well.

They had been living for over a year together, and he had never laid a finger on her. Why would he now?

And, why would she dread it so much, when he had hundreds of women to chase after the skirts of his clothes?

He turned his line of vision away from her, and stated simply, "You can stop worrying; I'm not going to do anything."

His eyes flickered to her surprised expression, illuminated by the lights of the city around them, and a small grin grew on his lips.

"Don't flatter yourself," he said, "Besides, I'm not that weak." He could see that she was frowning now, her perfect lips in a stern line as her painted eyebrows crinkled together. "And all that makeup looks ridiculous on you."

She was truly angry now; he could feel the white heat of her indignation radiating off her, even though her face was now a calm and stoic mask.

They felt the carriage jolt to a stop, and Enishi sat up straight, looking out of the small, curtained, window.

"We're here," he said as the door opened. He stepped down, then waited for her to emerge. She shuffled to the door, and realized he was holding out his hand to help her down.

He grinned at her surprise, then said, "It's all about appearances, you know that."

She gave him an icy look, then took his hand in silence as she stepped down, feeling the noise and life of the red-light district flood her.

Yes, she did know that.

She was back.

* * *

**Present**

"Are you going to eat this time, or will I have to force-feed you once again?" she asked simply as she sat down before him, another bento box in her lap. He recalled her stuffing food into his mouth, but everything after that was blurry and dark. He figured that was when he passed out.

"What? So you can nearly kill me again?" he snapped irritably. She broke the chopsticks apart with a dangerous look, then handed them to him without answering. He studied them for a moment, then glanced up at her, and finally took them.

She gave an approving smile and handed him the bento box.

As he began to eat (he didn't notice or care what he was eating—food was all the same to him) he realized Mei-Mei had sat down to his left, resting against the wall. She closed her eyes, and Enishi took the opportunity to take in her ragged appearance.

She had gotten thinner, her cheekbones more prevalent, and her hair, which was usually combed into a series of hairstyles, was gathered in a thick and dirty braid. Her clothes were covered in dirt as well, and he could tell she hadn't bathed in a while.

He chewed his food, thinking about how frail she had seemed as she slept in a tightly curled ball, gazing at the dirt floor ahead of him with a blank expression.

After he was done with half of the bento, he set it to the side and lay back down, picking up the old diary he had set down while he ate.

"I'm tired," he said to no one in particular as he shut his eyes. "I don't want the rest."

She gazed at him, her blue eyes wider than usual, as he willed himself to sleep. She looked down at the half-eaten bento box, then back at the white haired man who was now falling into sleep.

She took it silently, picking up the chopsticks and beginning to eat.

* * *

**Past**

"Master Enishi!" a short, pudgy, man exclaimed jovially as Enishi and Mei-Mei walked in to the large hall. "We were almost certain you had abandoned us once again!" He bowed humbly, though the wide grin never disappeared from his face. "We are so honored by your presence!"

Enishi smiled as well, ignoring Mei-Mei's look of disgust at the hordes of men who were stuffing their faces as hired women wooed and flirted with them. To think she could be one of them.

She glanced at Enishi's shallow smile, and sighed silently to herself, wondering who was better off.

-

"You haven't eaten much," she said simply, not looking at him as they both sat side by side (rather closely, in order to appear comfortable with each other) at a large table they had to themselves in the front of the hall.

"When do I ever?" he replied wearily as he watched his men/buffoons drink and be merry.

_"It's all about appearances."_

She played with her napkin, picking at the edges as she considered the possibility that maybe the life he led wasn't so different from her own.

"Master Enishi!" another loud and vexing voice exclaimed. After bowing, a large man sat down at the table by Mei-Mei. Enishi flashed another hollow smile, only slightly different from the one he had been wearing all night, at the man as he sat down.

"Good evening, Cheng," Enishi said rather cheerfully. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Of course I am, Master Enishi!" Cheng laughed heartily, "You spoil us with these parties you throw!"

"Anything to keep my comrades happy," Enishi smiled.

"Happy we are!" Cheng grinned, exposing large, square teeth. Mei-Mei couldn't help staring at how big they were, especially when he flashed them dangerously like that. She wondered how many people had those teeth imprinted as their dying image.

"After all," Cheng was saying, "Business is going well, we have a good grip on the market and on our rivals, and--" for the first time his gaze flickered to Mei-Mei "--the women here are _beautiful_."

Enishi's look of amusement didn't shift, even though Mei-Mei felt a flicker of uneasiness.

"Look at them, Master Enishi!" Cheng laughed, waving at all the women scattered about the tables, most of them in the arms of red-faced men. "They're healthy, vibrant women--" his eyes flickered to Mei-Mei once more "--beautiful and full, not to mention so _willing_ to please, as any woman should be."

"Quite," Enishi replied, his aquamarine gaze steeling, even though the cheerful smile stayed in place.

Cheng grinned at Enishi, then lowered his voice slightly, "What I love about these banquets, and the women, is how willing everyone is to _share_ them among their comrades."

Enishi took a sip of his tea, still smiling, and casually put his hand around Mei-mei's shoulders.

"I suggest you go find someone willing, then, Cheng," he said, still smiling, exposing his cold, livid, eyes by tilting his head down.

Cheng took the hint, and quickly changed the subject.

Mei-Mei sat in silence, picking at her napkin, now out of nervousness and not boredom, as she mentally thanked Lindo for putting so much white powder on her face.

This way her flushed cheeks were not visible.

Even though Cheng had backed down, and Enishi had clearly marked her as his own, he didn't move his hand from her shoulders.

-

She sighed heavily, letting the drape of darkness fall around her shoulders as she stepped outside into the courtyard. She had managed to get away from the horny chaos that was taking place in the banquet, and was now filling her lungs with the crisp air of the night.

She walked around the small courtyard, savoring the silence before she had to return to his side.

She shuddered as she thought about him, wrapping her arms around herself.

The look of intense anger he had given that man when he asked for her, what did it mean? Did he consider her his sole property…or was there more to his hostility?

She didn't have time to consider, however, as she was swept off her feet and dragged off in a matter of seconds. She tried to scream, but they--whoever they were--kept a firm grip over her mouth as they dragged her into a door leading out of the courtyard.

She found herself in a dark room, feeling as if she was slowly suffocating in the inky black atmosphere, as hands tied her limbs with binds and quickly gagged her with a rag.

She flinched when she felt a clammy palm on her cheek, even though she couldn't see her nose, let alone her captors.

"Shh, calm down," she heard a man on her right whisper. "We don't want to hurt you."

"That's right," a second man on her left cooed. "We just want you to listen."

Listen? How could she listen when her heartbeat was pounding in her ears and her ragged breaths were echoing through her head?

"Calm down," one of them said, stroking her cheek. They continued to stroke her for a few minutes until she had finally regained herself, although she scowled at them for treating her like an animal.

She didn't need to be stroked; she just needed to be un-gagged so she could breathe normally again.

"You belong to Enishi, don't you?" one of them asked.

"We know you do, even though you don't get out much, do you?" the other said.

"Even Enishi's manor is home to a few _rats_," the other stated, answering Mei-mei's unasked question on how they knew about her.

"Like we said, we don't want to hurt you."

"We just want to put some _options_ out for you."

"We know you must hate him, because he uses you and doesn't let you leave the house or enjoy yourself like most men would."

"He's a tyrant, only happy when he has _complete control_ over everything he touches."

"_You can overthrow him_."

She felt her bonds slip away, even though her gag remained in place. The invisible hands clasped her wrists gently, preventing her from reaching up and taking it out of her mouth.

"You're not the only one that hates this man."

"He's a wanted criminal the police haven't managed to indict."

"And he's a fearsome rival to the other syndicates."

"But they don't really matter."

"Only _you_ matter."

"If you manage to get _rid_ of this man for us, we will make you the wife of the richest and most powerful man in eastern China. You will have a whole household at your feet, along with everything you could ever want or need."

"If you don't, you'll continue to be his tool, and you'll continue to allow his regime of hatred." The gag was taken gently out of her mouth, but she clenched her teeth and remained silent as she breathed heavily through her mouth.

"Think about that as you return to his side."

Without another word, she was picked up and shoved out the door. She found herself standing in the courtyard. The breeze stirred gently and insects chirped as if nothing had happened.

She didn't turn around, she didn't open the door again. All she did was walk out of the courtyard and back to Enishi's side.

"We'll be leaving soon," Enishi said as she sat down. She glanced at him, noting how tired and annoyed he looked. She said nothing as she sipped some of her tea, but then realized he was staring at her.

She set down her cup and said nothing, avoiding his gaze, as he frowned at her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows suspiciously.

"Nothing," she replied simply, "Everything is all right."

He didn't put his hand back on her shoulder, or put on the fake, cheery smile that had been present all night. Instead, he simply got up. He offered her his arm, which she took silently, and they walked out of the clamorous hall.

They said nothing on the ride back.

* * *

Ahh, well, okay then, yup………………………

My author's notes are gonna be awfully short without my reviewer responses… T.T

So, I'll be working on those responses.

It's been forever since I've updated. I know, I know, and I'm sorry, as usual. What can I say? I've been in an artistic slum all year. All my artwork looks like shit and inspirational bursts are few and far between. Still, I love this story and am planning to keep writing it.

So stick with me, please, I really do appreciate it. I do. Really. Believe me.

AND DO NOT FORGET THE REVIEWS! XD. If you leave an anonymous review, I won't be able to reply to it. So…DON'T LEAVE ANONYMOUS REVIEWS! I want to tell you how much I love you!


	9. A Climax

* * *

Chapter 9: A Climax

* * *

"Come on, wake up," she scowled as she shook him gently. He groaned and turned over, causing her to increase the force of her prodding. "You sleep all day! Surely you can wake up early one morning!"

"What the hell…?" he muttered as he finally opened his eyes, looking at Mei-Mei with indignation. "What do you want?"

"We're going to the bath house, get up," shereplied as she sat back.

"Hell no," he snapped immediately. He wasn't leaving Rakuninmura. Not yet.

"Hell yes!" she exclaimed. "Have you _seen_ yourself? Have you _smelt_ yourself?" she hissed. "A pig is cleaner than you are!"

"Then go bother a pig and leave me alone," he muttered, turning over.

"Enishi…" she growled, her voice hard as she gazed at his back with enough intensity to make him uncomfortable.

He turned slightly so he could see her, glaring back with his own trademark look of death.

"I'm not going."

-

"Damn that woman," he muttered as he scrubbed his hair. He couldn't help grimacing, however, when his fingers would get caught in chunks of God-knows-what. He rinsed his head and watched as what felt like a lifetime of filth flowed off him.

After ten minutes he was finally able to run his hand through his hair without feeling any obstruction.

Another ten minutes later he deemed himself clean enough to get into the bath without polluting the water.

He carefully lowered himself into the hot water, wincing as his semi-healed wounds touched the scalding water. After he had settled in, however, his body became accustomed to it and he was able to relax.

He noticed several men staring at him, and he glared back.

What? Hadn't they ever seen a six-foot tall white-haired man with several largescars across his body bathe before?

As he rethought this, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir," one of the employees said, "The young lady you came with asked that I give you this." Enishi glanced at the package the man was holding. "I'll just leave it with your other…things…" He trailed off as he looked at the rags that were lying in the bucket. They were caked in blood and dirt and were hardly clothes anymore. Only his sister's diary was a discernable object, sitting among the ratty fabric.

The man placed the paper-wrapped parcel on top of the diary, then left the bath.

Enishi turned back and stared at the rippling water. He let out a long sigh and sank deeper into the bath. He recalled the luxurious baths he would take in his mansion in Shanghai. Besides Watoujutsu, it was the one way he could relax.

Maybe this wasn't so bad…

-

She let out a long sigh as she slipped into the hot water, her hair swimming eerily around her in thick black tendrils. She watched it absentmindedly as she ran her fingers over her white skin.

It pleased her to find that it was still soft to the touch, even after such a long time of sleeping outdoors. She pulled her arm out of the water, the sound of falling water rippling off the walls.

She pulled her hair off of it, exposing the especially pale underside of her forearm.

She traced her finger along a jagged hot-white scar that ran from her wrist to her elbow, her eyes glazing in a faraway expression. She frowned to herself, then let herself fall all the way into the bath, watching bubbles travel through the forest of hair as they reached the surface.

* * *

**Past**

They hadn't spoken to each other in days, but it felt like years. Even the Watoujutsu lessons had been put on hold.

Mei-Mei had said nothing about what happened that night, but Enishi could tell there was something wrong, something horribly amiss.

He was hardly around anymore. He would leave before she was awake and come back too late at night for her to even consider confronting him about anything. They wouldn't look at each other and wouldn't stay in the same room.

Even Lindo understood the gravity of the situation. She would cautiously suggest Mei-Mei apologize about "whatever happened" at the banquet, but each timeMei-Mei refused.

She had nothing to apologize for.

Mei-Mei submerged herself in her books once again, quicklyreading the few she hadn't already. After reading several stories over again, she vaguely considered asking Enishi for more.

But then she would remember the awkward and tense atmosphere that would envelop a room when they were both in it.

She couldn't evenlook at him—how could she expect to ask him for something?

She was sitting outside on a small couch, reading a particular novel she was fond of for the third time, when she glanced up and noticed the armory. She grimaced and kept on reading, but her thoughts strayed back to the horde of weapons hidden in that room.

She was stronger than she had ever been in her life now. She was still nowhere near as strong as Enishi, but she knew she could kill him if she wanted to.

It would just take a bit of planning.

And, if she did, she would have a future all set for her, as the wife of a wealthy Eastern man…

But she didn't want to get married. In fact, that was the last thing she wanted.

She just wanted to kill Enishi.

That was why she learned Watoujutsu. That was why she had stopped trying to run away. That was why she would watch him practice, so she could see if he would show a weakness… That was the only reason she ever indulged him. She had no interest in the man.

She recalled the weight of his arm on her shoulder, and her heart skipped a beat.

* * *

**Present**

"Where did you get this thing?" he asked flatly. She shrugged; even though he couldn't see her, she knew he was studying her as well as if he was facing her. "It feels cheap."

She pulled tightly on a bandage, causing him to flinch in surprise.

"Well, excuse me, _Master_," she scowled, "but I wasn't aware you were only capable of wearing silk." He didn't answer, settling forsnorting in an exasperated matter instead.

She continued dressing his wounds. Even though they were all closed, she didn't want to risk infection in any way. Besides, she had plenty of bandages.

Yutarou had been a big help to her, getting her more bandages and even some clothes. She would repay him for his kindness soon, then she and Enishi would…

Actually, she had no idea what was going to happen to them. Would Enishi want to go back to China, or would he prefer Japan? In fact, would he even want her to stay with him?

Would she want to stay with him?

"You're cutting off my circulation."

Mei-Mei snapped out of her reverie and notice that she had wrapped Enishi's arm several times over now. He was looking at her with an arched eyebrow, his blue eyes scrutinizing her critically.

She quickly tied off the bandage then said, "What is that book you carry around all the time? You're hardly ever without it."

Enishi shifted the dirty diary in his hands slightly, but didn't answer.

She noticed his quiet brooding, but frowned in irritation as he attempted to ignore her question. "Who did it belong to?"

He still didn't answer. His eyes had taken a faraway look, now clearly visible since his glasses were missing.

"Enishi?" she whispered softly.

"Are you done yet?" he answered stoically. She looked down at his scarred back, the top half of his kimono lying on the ground around him.

"Yes," she replied, masking the emotion in her voice.

* * *

**Past**

_A hill perfectly white. Untouched snow all around him as even more fell in gentle wisps. He let out baited breath, watching it escape from his body in a soft cloud before him._

_'I've got to go,' he couldn't help thinking. 'Where is she?'_

_He plodded along, his feet sinking into the white ground and leaving an obvious trail. It didn't matter. No one was looking for him._

_He was in a thick forest, black trunks looming around him. They all looked exactly the same as the one before it._

_Still, he knew where he was going._

_'I'm going to find her.'_

_He quickened his pace, the sound of his breathing in his ears loud in comparison to the silence of the forest._

_'She's around here somewhere.'_

_He began running, trees flying past him in dark blurs as he gained momentum. His footsteps were thunderous, destroying the untouched perfection of the snow._

_Finally he emerged from the forest. He didn't notice it falling away behind him._

_All he saw was a figure dressed in white standing with their back towards him, pitch black hair gathered with a pink tie._

_"Nee-san!" he exclaimed, a large grin on his face. Tomoe didn't answer, however, remaining with her back to Enishi._

_She hadn't heard him, that's all._

_"Nee-san!" he exclaimed again, walking forward. She still didn't turn to face her little brother. "Nee-san!" He began running toward her, feeling frustration and confusion mount within him. Why wasn't she answering him?_

_"Tomoe-nee-san, I found you," he smiled as he was finally reaching her. He didn't want to stop, he just wanted to run forward and let her hold him just as she had when he was ten._

_He was but a foot away when she finally turned to face him._

_The snow that had lain perfectly around them was stained once again with blood. He looked around in confusion, wondering where the dark fluid had come from._

_"M-master…"_

_He looked at Tomoe in shock, realizing that it was not his older sister._

_"Mei-Mei," he gasped, his aquamarine eyes widening as she looked up at him with a woeful expression._

_A tear fell from her eye as she reached up and gently placed her palm on his cheek._

_"Enishi…" she sighed, as a trickle of blood came from the corner of her mouth._

_She was hurt, but he didn't understand why. Was the blood around them hers? Where did it come from?_

_He looked down, then felt as if a heavy stone had been flung into his chest, knocking everything out of him._

_His hands were still grasped tightly around the hilt of the sword, even as the blood ran down and stained the white kimono._

_"She's dead," a voice said, as her hand fell from his cheek and her body collapsed onto the ground. Her dark hair fell around her, framing her pale face as dark red life leaked out and bloomed on the snow white kimono._

_He let the stained sword fall to the ground, shaking with despair and shock as he stared at her still form._

_"You see what you've done?"_

_He turned around to face the speaker. A man was staring at him, grinning maliciously._

_A man with vibrant red hair that was gathered in a high ponytail._

_"You've killed her, _hitokiri

_He was just as he remembered, except**…**_

_There was no scar on his cheek._

_Instead, blood was running down from where Mei-Mei had touched him. He reached up and placed his palm on his face, then looked down at it._

_A bloody imprint of an 'X' was visible on his hand._

* * *

**Present**

What was it? Who did it belong to? Enishi was never partial to books, and she hardly ever saw him reading.

Yet he carried this ragged old thing with him wherever he went.

Even now while he slept it was lying on his chest, the tips of his fingers resting lightly on it.

The short trip to the bathhouse had exhausted him, and he was sleeping rather peacefully now in his clean dark-blue kimono.

Just why was this book so important to him?

After debating with herself for an extended period of time, Mei-Mei finally made up her mind.

She braced herself and calmly reached for the ragged thing.

Holding it by the very edges, she began to slip it out of his grip…

* * *

**Past**

She sat in her bed, staring at the strange shadows the moonlight cast on the wall. Her slate eyes were wide and awake, torrents of emotions gliding through them as she fought with herself.

She could hear him in the next room. He had arrived a few hours earlier, that she knew. But now…

He was shifting in his sleep, the sounds of the heavy silk covers echoing into her ears along with the indistinct sounds of his mutters.

She was gripping it tightly in her hands, her knuckles white as she breathed through her nose calmly.

She looked down at it, watching the moonlight glint off the blade.

She finally took the dagger and stood up, making her way to his room.

-

"_Nee-san…_," he muttered, sweat forming on his forehead as he shifted constantly in his sleep. "_Nee-san…_"

It had been so long, but she still remembered.

_"Otou-san, okaa-san, onii-san, onee-san…"_

The Japanese boy that had taken care of her and taught her remedial Japanese. She still remembered 'father,' 'mother,' 'brother,' 'sister.' The boy that had given her her name.

"_Nee-san…_"

Why was he calling for his sister? Wasn't she dead?

She frowned, tightening the grip on the dagger. It didn't matter.

He was going to die tonight.

Right now.

He turned once again, and she clearly saw the look of anguish in his face. This was so different from the man she remembered. The cool composed Enishi she recalled was gone.

Instead was this Enishi, crying for his sister in a nightmare.

But that didn't matter. He killed the one family she had.

The family that could've been hers.

Their slain bodies were vivid in her mind, blood pooled around them as the boy with white hair stood with the stained sword in his grip.

The manic smile on his face.

He was a monster. A terror to hundreds as the leader of a syndicate. He was an arms dealer, selling weapons of death so that more people like her could come into existence.

But…

He was a man who had sworn not to sleep with her, for whatever reasons, and had actually gone to great lengths to keep her happy.

The chest full of silk dresses.

The room full of endless books.

The reading lessons from Lindo.

The way he had protected her from the intentions of a bastard by simply placing his arm on her shoulder.

She recalled the warmth of his body as he intentionally sat closer to her, making it clear that _no one_ would be having her.

The way her pulse had quickened and her face had reddened…

No. No, no, no no nonononono…

She'd sworn her life to tracking him down and killing him. Sold her soul in a brothel time and time again to men who treated her as indifferently as they did stray dogs.

But he…

He argued with her, he got frustrated and annoyed with her.

He even taught her how to defend herself.

Her pulse was thumping in her ears, the hilt of the dagger becoming slick as her palms sweated.

Could she kill him?

Could she end a life just as he had?

Would she be happy after this…?

"No…" he whispered, and she realized he was now shaking, his fists tight as he curled into a ball. "Don't…"

She felt every ounce of hate for him gather within her, then dissipate almost instantly as if it had flowed out of her feet.

She didn't want to kill him…not Enishi…

The dagger fell to the floor with a loud clatter just as he shot up in bed, waking up as he yelled out her name.

He was staring at her, his blue eyes wide and full of fear as the sound of her name continued to echo around her. He was breathing heavily, panting as sweat ran down his face and his eyes came into focus.

He realized she was there, standing before him with her eyes glossy and brimming with all the hurt she had towards him.

"M-mei-mei?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes and staring at her once again. She was standing by his bed, crying.

Why was she crying?

"What…?" he couldn't formulate words, couldn't understand what was happening.

Hadn't he just killed her?  
"Enishi…" she said in a quiet gasp, "I can't…I…."

She slumped down, resting her head on the edge of his bed as she sat on the floor, crying into his sheets. He watched as her shoulders shook and listened to her ragged breath.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, knitting his eyebrows. This unnerved him more than she realized. He didn't want to see her cry, not after he had just killed her…

Actually, he just didn't want to see her cry. He never wanted to see her cry.

She looked up at him, face tear streaked. He could see her anxiety, the confusion he had mirrored in her eyes.

He shifted to the side of the bed and pulled her up gently by her shoulders as she stared at him. She was at eye level with him, and they gazed at each other, noting how lost they both felt.

He leaned in and kissed her, his lips touching hers awkwardly at first, but then forming to fit hers as she kissed back. He felt her surprise, almost as tangibly as his.

They pulled apart and stared at each other, eyes wide in disbelief.

He held her head in his hands, just realizing this as she let out a shaky breath. The touch of her skin on the tips of his fingers was so real, more real than anything he had felt since his sister was alive.

He loved his sister, but Mei-Mei…

He wanted her in a different way, not as a mother or guardian, but as…

He leaned in and kissed her again, and this time she responded more eagerly. She reached up and stroked the side of his face with her fingers as she pulled herself closer to him.

They broke apart and hovered inches in front of each other, breathing each other's breath as their noses brushed against each other.

Her eyes were closed, as if believing this was a dream but willing to suspend her disbelief. She leaned in and kissed him softly on the cheek, then again, and again, and again…

He couldn't help smiling as he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her as they both fell on the bed.

He hovered above her, unsure of what to do as a fresh tear trailed its way down her face. He wiped it away with his thumb, waiting for a response from her.

He had promised not to lie with her, and he would keep that promise if she wished it.

He looked steadily into her eyes as she gazed back.

The harsh gaze he remembered was gone, replaced by a soft expression that was unfamiliar to him as she stared back up at him.

He leaned in and kissed her again as she wrapped her arms around him…

* * *

**Present**

She opened the ragged book, flipping to the first page eagerly. To her disappointment, however, it was written in Japanese, and she could read Japanese just as well as she could read English.

She frowned, but continued to flip through the small book, indifferent to the fact that she couldn't comprehend a thing that was writing within it.

She stopped at one page, her eyes widening slightly as she touched a tiny pressed petal. It was small and tear shaped, a soft pink even though it was completely dried out, and she wondered what flower it had come from.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" a voice growled. A spark of fear ran through her body, from the tips of her toes up to the back of her neck where her hair was standing on end. She turned her head to see that Enishi was awake, his usually stoic blue eyes livid with anger.

"GIVE ME THAT!" he roared as he lunged for the book. She didn't resist and let him have it, falling back. "_Never_," he hissed, "_touch this again, or I'll kill you._"

She stared at him, her face completely different from the placid and indifferent one she usually wore as she let out a shaky breath.

She had never been so scared of him before…

She knew he would honor his promise if she ever did take the book again, she could see that in the way he glared at her as he sat back with the notebook clutched tightly close to his chest.

She knew it was something of incomprehensible value to him, either good or bad, and it was able to disturb him so greatly that he was capable of killing over it.

She stood up and ran away, feeling desperation over not knowing what had happened to him…

* * *

Note: Y'know, I would've updated sooner, but I was on a quest for world peace and eternal love, so my time was in high demand…

Okay, so I haven't exactly been on a life changing journey, and I know I haven't updated since…December, apparently.

I'M SO SORRY!

I'm gonna avoid the usual excuses, however, and will simply promise that I will try harder. I wanna finish this fic, if anything, along with my other Sano/OC fic. If I don't, well….

I try not to think about that.

I WILL FINISH THIS FIC! COUNT ON IT!

Anyways, who has been looking forward to something like this happening? I've been leading up to a mushy moment like this for forever! It makes me happy that I finally got here. :D

Thank you for sticking with me so far. I appreciate it so much, you have no idea! I like this story, I really do, and I only hope people will be around to read it, because then it'll make it that much more rewarding to spend time and write it down!

And to Fairy Mage, thank you, you've done so much for me.

Please review and make me feel special, because we all need that sometimes…

Free peeps for all of you! XD


	10. The Current of Time

**OMG, I updated! WTF!**

* * *

Chapter 10: The Current of Time

* * *

Swollen with the melting snow of the mountains, the swift river flowed steadily on before her. She sat on an old forgotten log, slumped over as she picked at the grass, seething. 

Her jaw clenched with frustration as she ripped out a chunk of the sod absentmindedly. She noticed the hunk of grass in her tight fist, then quickly brushed it off, hoping the cotton kimono Yutarou had lent her hadn't gotten dirty.

Above her, the road was busy with the rushing commuters of the day. She listened to the sounds of their feet, and then felt another swell of anger within her.

What the hell was she doing here, anyway?

She doubted one person in a five mile radius, excluding Yutarou, could understand or listen to her. She was unfamiliar with the Japanese ways and foods, and yet here she was, sitting in the busiest city with her dwindling stash of money and no place to go.

And all for that ungrateful bastard.

She jumped up in anger, her body shaking, then promptly slammed her foot into the log, kicking it as hard as she possibly could.

It shuddered upwards slightly, but was unharmed in any other way. She, on the other hand, now had a throbbing foot to go along with her throbbing chest.

She cursed angrily, sitting herself down huffily once again as she attempted to ignore the proof of her stupidity, her foot numb and pulsing.

Why was she here?

She had been doing fine, hadn't she? Enishi had been part of her past, a piece of her life that she shared with no one. She had acquired a simple job managing a shop of a small family business, making a steady income and earning food and shelter for herself honorably, without selling her body.

It had all changed that day, when a man had walked in, rather drunk as he stumbled into the merchandise sloppily. She was trying to shove him out the door when he laughed and told her she should be happy as well.

One of the greatest crime organizations in Shanghai had fallen apart, all because the leader had been stupid enough to wander over to Japan and cause a commotion.

_"It served the guy right, I'll tell you," he hiccupped, "What a freak he was, I knew he was a foreigner. No one in China would have crazy white hair like that."_

There had been no doubt in her mind. He was talking about Enishi.

She felt helpless as she found herself amassing the money she had saved up and buying a ticket to Tokyo. It was as if she couldn't control what was happening, and all she could do was watch as her hands made the transactions and preparations.

A tear slipped from her eye, but she quickly brushed it off. She was so stupid for coming. The only thought that had been in her mind was to find him, but she hadn't thought about what would happen afterwards.

She was a fool; a stupid, stubborn, mindless fool. All she had been able to think about was his lips pressed against her forehead, and the touch of his body as it had warmed hers…

She sighed, reaching into the wide obi of her simple light-blue kimono, and pulling out one of the few possessions she had on her. She stared at the simple little comb in her palm, running her fingers over its soft lacquered surface. The golden flowers that had been delicately painted on were being worn off by use, but she still remembered how bright they had been that day she had pulled it out of the large trunk…

More tears welled in her eyes, and she buried her face in her crossed arms, crying softly and holding the small comb tightly as she whispered to herself, "What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do…?"

* * *

**Past**

He was awake, but he kept his eyes firmly shut as he listened closely to his surroundings. He did this every morning, and each new day he found that he could hear smaller and minute things more clearly.

It was another way he was prepping his body for the future encounter with the Battousai.

The huge stone wall outside couldn't keep the sounds of the busy Shanghai street from filtering into his ears, and he listened as rickshaws were pulled through the horde of people, merchants and farmers yelling out the prices of their goods as the crowd shuffled by.

As he pulled himself out of the street and into his room, listening to the soft ticking of a clock and the rustle of sheets, he noticed a sound that was unfamiliar to him. He had never heard this sound before, not like this…

He opened his eyes and turned his head to the left, and couldn't help feeling a jolt of surprise when he realized Mei-mei was sleeping soundly at his side. The sound of her breathing was soft and melodious as her heart kept a steady beat.

He stared in awe as he recalled what had happened the night before, studying her still figure that lay in his silk white sheets. Her hair was strewn around her body, contrasting sharply with the bleached fabric and her naked skin.

He knew he was probably as unclothed as she was as he pulled the blanket tighter around him. He stared up at the ceiling, his heart beating unusually fast as he recalled the touch of her skin against his, her soft hands caressing his body throughout the night…

"Your face is red," he heard her say quietly. He turned to look at her once more, and realized her unusual blue eyes were studying him with amusement. All he could do was put his hand over his face as he felt it burn even more.

When he finally composed himself he saw she was studying him silently, her finger scratching at the sheets absentmindedly as she grew visibly more and more perplexed.

They had slept with each other after they had made it painfully clear they couldn't stand each other.

He turned onto his side, so he was looking at her straight in the eyes as well.

"What happened?" she whispered, echoing his emotions. He stared at her, noting her quickening heartbeat, then placed his hand under her chin, stroking her skin quietly.

She let out a shaky breath of surprise at the show of affection, but made no move to stop him.

He didn't give a damn what had happened, he only knew that it had happened and he was surprisingly content with the outcome.

They continued to gaze into each other's faces as the morning slipped by, the sounds across the wall constant and undying like the forces of a river…

* * *

**Present**

He was vaguely aware of his surroundings as he dozed, slipping into the real and dream world interchangeably. A hint of his anger toward Mei-mei still bubbled in his half-baked dreams, and he frowned as he gripped the old diary more tightly.

His sister was talking to him, her mouth moving but her words oddly muffled, as if they were submerged in water. She wanted to tell him something, and kept trying to keep his attention, but he couldn't help drifting away and back again.

A chill ran down his spine, and he finally awoke from his restless sleep with a start.

"Ah, finally awake, master?" a voice said. He balled his hands into fists when he realized this wasn't Mei-mei's voice, even though it was in Chinese.

He looked up to see a young man, probably around his age, snacking on wagashi (Japanese sweets) as he studied Enishi with an interested expression, sitting across from him.

"Who are you?" Enishi asked, glaring at the man.

He grinned widely, "I'm really not gonna bother wasting time with you, Master Enishi." He popped the last of his sweets into his mouth and swallowed them nearly whole. "You and I are going to skip the formalities of introductions and I'll just say why I'm here."

He leaned forward on his haunches, the smiled pleasantly, "I'm from the syndicate." Enishi stiffened slightly, but made no other indication of his discomfort. "I'm sure you know nobody can just up and walk away from the Underworld like that." His eyes glinted as his smirk widened.

"It took me a very long time to find you, I hope you know," he continued. "I even had to go so far as to hire a woman to help me." He cocked his head at Enishi. "I'm sure you know who I'm talking about; she's been helping you for the past few weeks, hasn't she?"

Enishi's eyes widened as he realized he was talking about Mei-mei. "You hired her to come find me?"

"Of course!" he laughed. "No one had any idea what you had been planning, except for Heishin, of course, but he's in police custody now. You may not realize this, Master Enishi, but everyone knew you had grown attached to that woman, especially after she disappeared. I figured if there was anyone left in China who would know where to look, it would be her."

A deep disgust filled Enishi as he listened to the man's words, "How much did you pay her?"

"Enough, I'll tell you that much," he chuckled. He stopped, then turned to look at Enishi with one eye, smiling wickedly, "You didn't really think she came here for _your_ sake, did you? I mean, honestly, Master Enishi, why would anyone want anything to do with a man like you!"

Enishi's eyes flashed, and the man noticed the warning within them. "Anyway," he coughed, "she'll be leaving soon. I'll be giving her the rest of her payment in a few days. Anyways, I just came to tell you one thing."

He smiled cattishly once again, "You either come back to our organization, or I kill you."

"You'll kill me?" Enishi echoed coldly. He smiled bitterly, "A useless weasel like you could never kill me."

The man returned the expression of hate, "You may be a tiger, Master Enishi, but you are clawless and toothless without your sword. Not only that, but you've been doing little more than sitting on your ass for the past few months. Even a weasel could rip your throat out in your current state."

Enishi's cold air quickly seethed with white hot anger. "You're pissing me off," he growled.

"Coming from a man who is wholly dependent on a little girl," he hissed, "that hardly manages to frighten me."

They glared at each other for a few tense seconds, then the man stood up, resuming his cheerful air.

"I'll be back tomorrow for your answer," he said as he walked away. Then he added, "Run if you want, it'll just make it more interesting to track you down."

Enishi's lip curled in distaste, not only at the assassin, but at Mei-mei, as well.

* * *

**Past **

Mei-mei smiled to herself in eagerness as she read quickly through her new book, being in the midst of the climax of the story. This was the third book she had read this month, and there were still many left to read, especially after Enishi had eagerly brought her more of them to entertain herself throughout the day.

While most men kept their lovers happy with dresses and jewelry, Enishi kept Mei-mei perfectly content with musty old books.

She shuddered with happiness when she realized just what Enishi had become: her lover. She had been with many men, it was true, and many of them had been willing to spend fortunes on her just to please her, but she had never had a lover.

Especially not one like Enishi

She looked up as the door opened, a soft breeze blowing her bangs into her vision before she realized Enishi was walking towards her. She was seated on a comfortable couch outside in the garden, reading in the soft summer afternoon and looking forward to his return.

He said nothing as she smiled at him, but eagerly settled himself in the couch with her. He draped his arm across her shoulder as she leaned against him, his cheek resting on the top of her head.

"Tired?" she asked as she kept reading.

"You would be too if you had to deal with buffoons all day," he muttered, closing his eyes. She couldn't see his expression, but she could picture his eyebrows knitting in frustration and the slight frown of his lips just by his voice. She smiled **and **continued reading.

She found him surprisingly affectionate now that they had come to a silent understanding. He was around more, instead of spending long hours into the night dealing with his subordinates, and it was no longer necessary for Mei-mei to ask for things because he usually brought them to her as gifts. Even his caustic attitude had been toned down; he was more patient with her and less quick to remark, taking a second to think about how to word his sentences before saying them. They were subtle changes, some that maybe he didn't even notice, but she appreciated them.

Even now he was content to lay with her in the lazy afternoon, watching her read as his mind drifted. He didn't talk much in the first place, and she was happy to let him rest in silence.

An hour later Mei-mei finally put down her book, her curiosity satiated now that she had reached the conclusion. She shifted slightly in his arms, then realized he had fallen asleep.

She smiled, taking his hand in her lap and closing her eyes as well.

Before she slipped out of consciousness, she made a small plea to let this happiness last forever…

-

"This really has to be one of the best so far," she explained happily. "I can read them over and over again and still be amused by the simple messages they have."

"Those have been around for a long time," he shrugged, "That's what makes the messages so accepted; they can be applied to anyone living anywhere. You're not the first to indulge them."

She watched him for a minute as he took apart his watou, taking care on placing the pieces nearby so they wouldn't get lost as he cleaned the sword.

"It's strange to think so many people have read these stories," she smiled. Then she sighed, "'Once upon a time…,' that's how a lot of them start out." She grinned. "Those are the first words I learned to read, remember?" He let a small smile appear on his face as he watched her contentment from the corner of his eye.

"I guess I'll have to bring you more books tomorrow, won't I?" he said, piecing his watou together once again, "This is starting to be a real pain."

She grinned mischievously as he wrapped his sword in a stiff cloth, "Then why don't you buy me more practical things, like expensive clothes and sweets?"

He arched an eyebrow at her as he set his sword aside, then stood up and sat down beside her on the floor.

"I could amuse you by playing drinking games," she continued, "And I'd run around prestigious circles bragging about how much you spoil me."

"They wouldn't let fat whores into prestigious circles," he smirked.

"Fat _rich_ whores," she corrected with a grin. She scooted closer to him as he wrapped his arm around her waist and they leaned back against a pile of cushions she had created earlier that afternoon.

They sat in content silence as both of their minds wandered to different things. After a while, she turned to look at him.

"There is one story I'd like to hear," she said softly, "But I don't think anyone's written it down."

"Oh?" he said, arching his eyebrow once again with skepticism.

She nodded, thinking of how to phrase what she wanted **to say**, "It's the story of a man."

He looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

She began to feel nervous as she said, "He lived in Shanghai, in an elaborate mansion with many servants. He was actually one of the most powerful men in Shanghai. Still…" she settled herself against him once again, so they couldn't see each other's faces, "…there's a lot more to him than that, because he's on a quest to kill somebody who hurt him. I…I'd like to know why…"

Her palms began to sweat and she resisted the urge to fidget with nervousness. She was afraid he would get mad at her, that he would get up and lock himself in his room, and that she wouldn't see him the next morning, or the morning after, because he'd leave early and come back late, just like before…

She chewed on her lip, her fingertips tracing a pattern on the rug they were sitting on as minutes passed in silence. He was sitting rather rigidly next to her, but at least his arm was still around her waist, and he hadn't left. Still, she didn't dare look up and see his face.

Perhaps he'd just rather ignore the question. She was about to tell him she was just kidding, when he finally spoke up.

"I—I really loved my sister," he said in a quiet voice, one that seemed alien coming from him. "My mother died when I was too little to care, so she took care of me. She was—my whole world. My _nee-san_…"

His tone of voice was nostalgic and warm as he reminisced about his sister, but with the next sentence it took on a harder tone, "Everything was fine, until a man asked her to marry him. The fool then went off to war, and he was killed by an assassin, _Hitokiri Battousai_…"

-

Everything was silent as the moon shimmered through the window, casting a surreal glow on the room around her. She lay, unable to sleep, as thoughts continued to push out any desire to close her eyes.

Finally, she got up, the sheets around her rustling as she stepped out of bed. She tiptoed as quietly as she could out of her room, making her way to a shut door on the other side of the sitting room…

The door squeaked slightly as she pushed it open, and creaked once again as she pushed it closed behind her. She let out a silent breath, then made her way to the large bed in the middle of the room.

He was sleeping, his limbs sprawled out as he frowned in his dreams. He seemed rather fitful as she gazed at him quietly, feeling an unfamiliar sense of compassion towards him. An ironic sense of empathy.

She lay down beside him, resting her head right across his so she was looking into his face. She pushed a lock of florescent white hair out of the way as she stroked his cheek gently.

He was still frowning, but as she caressed him his expression finally softened. He inhaled sharply as his eyes opened drowsily. He stared at her, still half asleep, then pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her as he fell back into slumber.

She couldn't help smiling. Even sound asleep he still wanted to hold her.

She let her smile fall, her face saddening.

_Tomoe, Hitokiri Battousai, Kiyosato, Himura Kenshin, Jinchuu…_

Foreign words that had no meaning to her hours earlier now weighed heavily upon her.

He had spent hours talking as she listened, never interrupting, for once glad to sit in silence as she absorbed all he had told her.

He was a man, she was a woman. He was a powerful weapons dealer, and she was a lowly prostitute. His hair was vibrantly white, and hers a somber black.

Then why were they so alike…?

* * *

**Present**

She faced the entrance to Rakuninmura wearily, the black comb still in her hand as she commenced the nervous habit of chewing her lip.

She had dozed off by the river, and she had had the strangest dream.

A woman with dark hair had been crying for Enishi, telling her to forgive him, that he was still an easily wronged child in some ways. That he still needed her to guide him.

As Mei-mei reflected on it, she wondered vaguely why she felt she knew this woman, yet at the same time realized she was a total stranger.

Either way, Mei-mei took it as a sign. Dreams like that are never coincidences. She would still try to help Enishi in whatever way she could.

Mei-mei finally braced herself and trudged through the slums, weaving her way through the gritty neighborhood as she headed to where she had left Enishi.

When she arrived, she couldn't help stopping as her breath caught in her throat.

Enishi was sitting before her, as if waiting, and a look of intense loathing was on his face.

She frowned, then walked toward him.

"What the hell do you want?" he hissed venomously. Mei-mei was taken aback by his words, and she stopped once again.

She looked hurt, then said, "I'm sorry for looking through your book. I didn't mean any harm. I'm sorry."

Enishi didn't answer, but his expression didn't waver.

"What is it?" she asked, feeling uneasy.

"Why did you come back?" he asked, his voice deceptively calm.

She blinked with uncertainty, then replied simply, "I came back for you."

He slammed his fist into the wall behind him, then yelled, "Bullshit!" She jumped in shock. "I _know_ why you're here, Mei-mei, you can stop acting like that now."

She took in a shaky breath, then released it slowly, trying to keep calm. "What the hell are you talking about?" she said, unable to keep her voice from shaking.

"I should've realized the truth," he continued, a bitter look on his face, "Why else would you come?" He shot up as he yelled angrily, "Don't you think it was bad enough for me without you dragging your filthy, lying, ass all the way here!"

"I'll ask again," she said, her fists shaking, "_What the _hell_ are you talking about?_"

"STOP IT!" he roared, "I KNOW you're being paid, I KNOW who sent you and I KNOW you don't give a fuck what happens to me!" An eerie silence settled for a few seconds after the explosive screams.

He laughed hollowly, "You know, I thought it was bad at first, taking your pity, but then I thought I could just get over it and let you help me, but I didn't realize _everything_ you did and _everything_ you said was all so you could get your greedy paws on some gold!"

"Enishi!" she yelled, tears of hurt blurring her vision, "Who have you been talking to! Who has been telling you all these lies!"

He ran forward, and, before she could react, he had grabbed her by the front of her kimono.

"STOP LYING TO ME!" he screamed, shaking her furiously, "I UNDERSTAND, GOT IT! I KNOW WHY YOU'D RATHER HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH ME, SO JUST TELL ME AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY FACE!" He pushed her away, and she fell to the ground, her head spinning with the force of his words and the force of his actions.

She stared at him, wide eyed and confused, as he turned around and angrily punched a hole through the already falling apart house behind him.

"Y-you…" she stuttered, getting up despite her dizziness, "Y-you really believe that, do you?" She couldn't help crying. God, she was so weak. "Y-you really think I-I would do s-something like that?"

He didn't answer or turn around, his forehead pressed against the wall and his arms covering his face.

"Enishi!" she yelled angrily, "Do you really think I'd do that! DO YOU! HOW LITTLE DO YOU SEE ME! WHAT KIND OF FEEBLE WOMAN HAS BEEN CARING FOR YOU FOR SO LONG!" He didn't answer, and she choked on her sobs.

"YOU BASTARD, I HATE MYSELF FOR EVEN CARING ABOUT YOU!" She pulled the comb out of her obi once again. "DAMN YOU, YOU FOOL!" She threw it at him blindly, and it struck the wall a foot away from his face as she turned and ran out of Rakuninmura.

He scratched at the wooden shingles with his fingers, trying to fight the tears and wishing with all his heart he had none…

* * *

**Note: …………**

**Well now, this can't end well, can it? And there were so many touching moments in the past…**

**Hm, I'm not gonna say anything, but you should stick around and read the next chapter. Who knows, maybe there'll be more Enishi/Mei-mei fluff. I sure love writing fluff, especially with two characters I particularly like (heh).**

**I'm afraid a lot of my readers have left me because I took too long to update. I didn't get as many reviews as I usually do, and that made me sad. Really sad. Sad enough to whine to all of you.**

**So, if you don't want to hear me whine, could you please leave a review? Please? Perdy please? (there were a million question marks here, but quickedit took them out...) T.T**

**HEY LOOK, THE WEEKEND! Have fun, and peace OUT! XP**


	11. The Beginning of the End

* * *

Chapter 11: The Beginning of the End

* * *

"Once upon a time…" she whispered numbly to herself, "Once upon a time I was happy…" She felt her stomach reel as her face twisted in pain, her vice-like throat clamping on her breath as sobs racked her body. 

Why did it have to be like this? Why did it _always_ have to be like this?

Why couldn't they just leave her alone? Why couldn't she have a "happily ever after" with him?

She took in a deep breath, steadying herself. Her face relaxed as the trails of her tears chilled in the breeze.

"Is it too much to ask?" she continued, her voice flat. "Am I being too selfish?"

She turned onto her back, her kimono dirty from lying on the bank of the familiar river. She closed her eyes. Ever since she could remember, she was attracted to rivers, moving bodies traveling forever onward as they dismissed their surroundings and the lives around them.

She could picture the little hovel she had lived in as an orphan in Shanghai. She could picture Enishi, his clothes torn and filthy over his equally battered and neglected body, lying weakly and helplessly as she brought him oranges.

Even back then his eyes had had the same intensity.

Tears formed under her eyelids, and she clenched her jaw as her throat ached.

She opened her eyes, then yelled suddenly, "Why does it have to be like this! Why can't I love him? WHY CAN'T THEY JUST LET US LOVE EACH OTHER?"

"No need to shout," a voice answered. She inhaled sharply, sitting up to see that a man was sitting before her on his haunches, a smile stretched across his face.

She frowned at him; his expression reminded her too much of a happy feline with a mouse under its paw.

* * *

**Past**

She walked down the hall, toweling off her hair lazily. The floor creaked under her feet as she passed through the silent rooms, heading to her small calligraphy station that was placed outside under the patio.

She tossed the towel on a sofa, picking up her small black comb from a table as she continued on her way. She ran the wooden teeth down her silky wet hair, smiling as she recalled the feeling of Enishi's fingers running through her hair…

She blushed; she really was such a love-struck little girl.

She paused, her skin prickling uneasily. She wasn't sure why, but she had felt a flash of discomfort. Was there someone there?  
"Lindo?" she called, even though she knew the servant girl was probably at her own home, enjoying her day off. "Enishi?"

No one answered, and she really hadn't expected anyone to. She usually spent most of the day by herself or with Lindo; hardly anyone else came into this part of the mansion.

She couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling, however, as her eyes crinkled with the frown on her face.

She stood perfectly still, listening intently. After a few seconds, she shrugged, brushing off the discomfort as she turned to head outside.

But then…

* * *

**Present**

"What do you want?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously.

He smiled coyly, "Simply to reward your efforts. It must have been difficult, coming all this way for nothing." He cocked his head to the side as he reached into his pocket. "Here is enough to get you back to the mainland and to keep you happy for days to come." He held out a pouch of jingling coins to her, his innocent expression unwavering.

She scowled at him, "You're…you're from the syndicate, aren't you?"

He shrugged cheerfully, "Does it matter?"

She stared at him, her blue eyes probing into his façade in search for a clue, a weakness, anything to warn her of this man's intentions.

He looked familiar, she couldn't deny that. Had she seen him before? Had they met?

"How long have you been watching me?" she asked, still studying him.

He took on a thoughtful air, "Well, a few days? Or was it a week?" He laughed to himself, "I'm no good in keeping track of days. Honestly? Enough to affirm your misery. I don't blame you; that ungrateful man is hardly worth the effort." He smiled in a seemingly reassuring manner. "It's all right; I doubt he'll bother you again."

She snorted, replying curtly, "I know. I don't plan on seeing him again."

"I understand that." He rested his chin on the palm of his hand, "Haven't you been away from home long enough? Don't you wish you had your old life back, your old job? I'm sure you could find a simple way of life in China."

His matter-of-fact comments unnerved her; she couldn't help but distrust his crooked smile, his squinty eyes watching her as if they knew something she didn't, glinting with the contemptuous safety of that knowledge.

Her eyes widened, "You—you were that man…" He arched his eyebrows at her in polite surprise. Her scowl deepened with her realization, "You're the drunkard that came into my shop that day, babbling about the syndicate and Enishi."

His smile ebbed away slightly, revealing a much more dangerous man, "You've done your part in this little game. It's time you leave."

A shiver passed through her, causing her skin to prickle as her face flushed with discomfort, "How long have I been playing into your hands?"

He gave her a disdainful sneer, "You and that impotent man are so stupid, thinking you could escape the syndicate so easily."

She shot up, staring down at the Chinese offender with a hint of fear.

He got up casually, "Are you sure you don't want to leave now?"

Her eyes hardened and she took on a defensive pose, "Like hell. I'm not through with my business in Japan."

He reached behind him to the two swords strapped to his back. "Pity," he smirked, "I'd rather not kill such a pretty girl."

She clenched her fists, recalling the lessons she had had with Enishi...

* * *

**Past**

She opened her eyes groggily, wincing as a knife of pain jabbed the back of her head. She felt as if the world itself was throbbing with the thick beating of her heart as she screwed her eyes shut again, afraid to come to the realization that…

Her hands were tied uncomfortably firm behind her, and her mouth was gagged with a rag, making it hard to breathe.

She curled into a ball, attempting to disappear from this horrible situation. Had she been kidnapped? What were they going to do to her?

"So you're awake," a hard voice said. She didn't release herself from her position, as if ignoring her captor would make him go away. She couldn't help recognizing the voice, however, recalling the night at the party when she had been pulled into a dark room…

"When does your master come home?" the man asked in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Is he due soon? Tell me, why isn't he here?" His voice had a threatening chime to it as she chewed on the rag in her mouth nervously, mentally pleading for Enishi's return while cursing her helplessness.

-

Her mind drifted as her body cramped from being too tense for too long. It had been hours since they had first taken her, leaving her slumped on the ground with only her thoughts to pass the time as her wrists became raw with the chafing of the thick rope. She had spent her time trying to force her hands out of the bindings, but it accomplished nothing and only added to her list of injuries.

It was dusk. Enishi would be coming back soon.

One of the men rushed in quietly, then leaned down and grabbed her up roughly by her collar.

"He's here," he said in a hushed tone as he pushed her along in front of him, his body pressed to hers, "Don't say a damn word or I'll kill you."

She gnawed violently on the rag in her mouth, wishing it was any of her captor's limbs.

She was pushed down as he kneeled beside her; she stared with wide eyes through the crack of the door, gazing at the familiar courtyard with newfound trepidation. So she was still in the mansion…

Enishi was probably inside, looking for her. It wouldn't be long before he opened the door and…

The second man appeared on her other side. Mei-mei's eyes widened in horror as she realized he was carrying a rifle and calmly positioning it in the crook of his arm.

"Hold her," the rifle-bearer muttered to the other. The man beside her nodded, grabbing her hair from behind and pushing her torso onto the floor, her face uncomfortably squashed on the ground near her knees.

Damn it, now she couldn't see the door.

She began thrashing, whipping her body in hopes of attracting Enishi's attention and making it difficult for them to aim. Her handler growled, fighting her attempts by nearly flattening her with his weight. Her ribs were being crushed as he dug his elbow into her back, but she found she could still thrash her legs.

She whacked anything solid around her, trying to make loud noises, until she felt a cool edge on her throat.

"_Stay still, bitch, or I'll kill you_," the gunman hissed threateningly, pressing a small dagger to her throat. She stiffened, her eyes widening frantically in fear, shock, and horror.

The door on the other side of the courtyard opened; Enishi stepped into the garden. His eyes were narrowed, wary and calculating, as his right hand gripped the hilt of his watou tightly.

Mei-mei felt a surge of relief in seeing him prepared for battle.

Then she heard the click of the rifle beside her.

She let out a muffled scream as the deafening bang of the gunpowder let loose the thick bullet. Her ears were ringing as a small cloud of smoke impaired her vision, dreading seeing Enishi sprawled on the ground.

She blinked after a few seconds, realizing Enishi wasn't on the ground. In fact, he wasn't even in the courtyard.

"Damn," the gunman muttered, reloading.

"Whoever the hell is here, come out," Mei-mei heard Enishi's voice state calmly. Her eyes searched within her line of vision frantically, but she didn't have time to find him as she was forced up roughly, a knife pinned to her throat as she was pushed forward.

She stumbled outside, her captor close behind her with the cold blade still chillingly close to her throat.

"Stay where you are, Master Enishi," the man growled behind her. Her eyes continued their search, and she finally found him. They widened, realizing he was on the roof, looking down on them with a livid expression in his usually stoic eyes.

Another shot rang out, but Enishi was too quick. The tiles seemed to explode as Enishi materialized a few feet away, now growling ferociously.

"Let her go," he spat, fists clenching and watou glinting in the half-light.

"Not a chance," the man behind her chuckled, and once again another shot rang out. Similarly, Enishi dodged easily, landing farther down the roof.

"I suggest you sit still," the man roared next to her ear, "If you don't, I swear I'll kill your whore!" Enishi visibly stiffened, but the intense look in his eyes didn't lessen.

"That's better," the man said maliciously, and even though she couldn't see him, she knew a very evil grin was on his face. "You and your little doll have caused us way too much trouble. This all ends now."

Mei-mei didn't listen to the captor's words, staring at the white haired man, her heart pounding out all other sound in her ears. She had never seen him so angry, so ferociously enraged, his even breaths coming out sharply as veins seemed to throb all over his face. His storming eyes were pinned onto the man behind her.

Even though she wasn't the intended target of his murderous expression, she couldn't help shivering in fear.

She blinked; another sudden shot thundered; he disappeared.

She could feel the shock, the sudden ripple of disbelief as it passed through the body of the man who was pressed to her. She felt as if she could hear the sweaty tightening of the hilt of the dagger, as if preparing to defend himself, before it dropped to the ground altogether.

She heard herself scream, the warm liquid spattering into the air around her, coming down in a messy hail. Her cotton dress stained vividly as she watched the head of her captor fly through the air and over her own head, landing with a dull thud a few feet away.

Her legs gave way and she slumped onto the ground beside the dagger, which was now covered in the man's steaming blood.

Enishi let out steady huffs as his eyes searched for his remaining prey.

She couldn't help recoiling in fear. She looked at the dagger once again, then turned around and grabbed it with her hands. Though it felt like minutes, in seconds she had cut through her bindings, her hands working frantically with the adrenaline coursing through her shocked body.

She wanted to get up and run, but she could still hear his even and bloodthirsty breath. She couldn't move.

She was terrified.

His eyes snapped to the opening of the room she had been held captive in. The gunman was standing at the door, shaking with fear as he pointed the rifle at Enishi.

"D-don't come near me!" he shouted, sweat running down his face as his eyes darted from his friend's head, to Mei-mei's blood-splattered dress, to Enishi's piercing gaze and red watou.

"I-I'll shoot your head off! I'll kill you!" he continued to babble. Enishi seemed unfazed by his threat, getting into his stance with grim resolution.

"I-I'LL SHOOT HER! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" He pointed the gun at Mei-mei, but that only served to steam up the already riled tiger even more. He launched himself forward, and with a clean swipe the rifle and the man's arm were lying on the ground beside him before he could even pull the trigger.

The gunman let out a pained howl, staring at his stump in terror as his eyes bulged. They darted to Enishi, who grabbed him by his shirt and launched him to the ground. The gunman landed in a pathetic heap only a few feet in front of Mei-mei. All she could do was stare as he sobbed and pleaded for his life.

Enishi walked forward, towering over him and Mei-mei as he glared down dangerously.

Slamming his foot onto the man's back, grinding his heel into the bone in a way that eerily mirrored her own captor's previous actions.

"Who the hell sent you?" Enishi hissed as the gunman continued to sob, clawing at the dirt with his one arm in attempts to get out from under Enishi.

"D-don't kill me," was all he could babble as the dirt on his face turned into mud. He stared at Mei-mei, still pleading, "please, don't let him kill me…"

Enishi stabbed his watou into the man's shoulder, causing him to scream in pain, his body writhing as Enishi hissed once more, "Answer my question: _who sent you_?"

"Stop it!" Mei-mei heard herself cry. "Enishi! That's enough!"

"Let me go, let me go!" the man pleaded, but Enishi only looked down on him coldly, ignoring Mei-mei's protests as he twisted the watou to the side, causing the man to holler in pain once again.

Mei-mei cringed as she watched his show of agony. He kept staring at her, his eyes wide and red from crying and begging.

He no longer looked like the man that had held a knife to her throat, and soon he would only be another blood covered corpse, just like…

"Enishi!" she yelled, getting up and launching herself towards him. "Let him go!"

He reacted instinctively, pulling the long sword out of his victim's shoulder, slicing it through the air in front of him as she put her arms up in shock, shielding her face.

She fell to the ground with the force of his swing, her right arm still in front of her as she stared at him through the gap of her fingers.

He was staring back, his eyes wide with horror.

Blood was pouring out of a large gash that went up the length of her forearm. She didn't see the actual cut, but she watched in complete bewilderment as blood poured onto her white dress in a steady stream from her arm.

She turned her arm towards herself, barely beginning to comprehend what had happened as the pain slowly spread.

He began to move towards her, making to help her, but her head snapped up and she gave him a frantic look of dread.

"Stay away from me!" she shrieked, clutching her arm to herself as her entire body shrunk back. "Stay away!" She used her legs to push herself farther away from him, moving herself along the dirt ground as her terrified eyes continued to stare at him warily.

He couldn't say anything. All he could do was stare mutely as she finally got to her feet and ran inside.

He stood in a daze for a few seconds, the image of Mei-mei's horror-struck face still vivid in his mind.

He turned and saw the gunman lying on his back and breathing heavily, the stump of an arm staining the ground around him with blood. He saw the ragged and limp body of the second man, his head, and the shocked expression still frozen on it, lying dumbly on the ground a few feet beside it.

He shivered.

* * *

**

* * *

Note: **The past and present do seem a bit…disconnected in this chapter, but I think this and the next one kinda go together, so you have to wait until the next one to see what I mean. :D 

Well now, I have but one comment: **CHECK OUT WHITERABBIT'S FIC "FAIRYTALE"**! It's for her OC exchange, where authors pick other OC's and make a little project about the characters (a short fic, some fanart, whatever). She's doing mine (whee!) and is writing a **set of poems all based on Mei-mei, Enishi, and this fic in general!**

How cool is that? Check out my profile for a url. XD

If you enjoy this fic, even just a little, and like reading poetry, you should definitely read the first two poems she has up. :)

And don't forget to review.


	12. A Will to Fight

Chapter 12: A Will to Fight

* * *

"Hoh!" Oibore laughed, looking down at Enishi, "What's with that face, boy? Lost a game of dice or something?" He leaned down and sat down besides Enishi as the younger white-haired man pointedly ignored him.

"Fine, don't talk to me," Oibore grinned, taking off his hat as his birds twittered around him. They hovered over Enishi for a second, but then seemed to change their minds as they avoided him and landed down on Oibore.

"Hm," Oibore said, noting the behavior of his little friends. He studied Enishi from the corner of his eye as he made a show of settling himself down.

"Bah," Oibore exclaimed, shaking his head. "I would be more likely in having a better conversation with that little Chinese girl, and I don't even speak her language!"

"She's not coming back," Enishi growled unexpectedly. A discomforting sense of trouble shot through Oibore.

"What'd you do, boy?" he said, covering his unease with a goofy grin, "Insult her kimono? Forget her birthday? Nothing a few flowers and a good dinner won't cure."

"Old man, leave me alone," Enishi said coldly, impatience ringing in his voice as he shot a glare at the bum.

"Are you telling me you won't even _try_ to bring her back?" he asked with exasperation. "I'll tell you, boy, you're lucky to find a girl like that in all the _world_, never mind Japan."

"You don't know what you're talking about, fool," Enishi hissed.

"I know what I see," Oibore retorted, nodding sagely. "A woman doesn't show that much devotion for just anything, you know. You should have seen how she watched over you as you slept; how hard she worked getting enough money to feed your lazy ass." He leaned in, "Trust me, I know when a woman's in love. You learn these things when you're a decrepit old man like me."

"Piss off," Enishi snapped, "The only thing that bitch loves is money, not me."

"Hah! Money!" Oibore laughed. "A woman doesn't leave her life behind for money! They are too delicate for such a thing!" His eyes glinted behind his cracked glasses, "Tell me, boy, haven't you ever seen a woman leave her home, her family, and head to a completely unknown future in the name of love? It's a beautiful thing…"

Enishi was silent, and Oibore could practically feel his anger ebbing away as realization set in.

"Tomoe…" Enishi whispered. A bird landed gracefully on his shoulder.

"Eh? What was that?" Oibore grinned dumbly, although his daughter's name still rung in his ears.

His sister had left him, and for what? Something stronger than the love between a brother and a sister or a daughter and a father had driven her to Kyoto. It was the love between a man and a woman…

Enishi's eyes widened as the image of his sister flashed before him, her expression caught between one of happiness at his insight and one of disappointment that he had been blind to it earlier.

Had Mei-mei done the same thing?

Did she really love him?

"I think you'd better find her, boy," Oibore whispered, his face dropping the obnoxious front to reveal the wise and tired old man he was.

Enishi got up, his head swimming as he considered the possibility that maybe—just maybe—she could love him.

That she had been telling the truth.

-

What could she do? She was practically defenseless, her hands clutching the small dagger she kept with her at all times as she willed the rest of her body to stop shaking. She was breathing raggedly, several shallow gashes on her arms and torso, not deep enough to be fatal but definitely stinging nonetheless.

She glared at her opponent as he swung his swords around almost comically, reminding her of the acrobats that had entertained men in her former life so long ago. His face was still set with a silent grin, an almost sadistic expression that made her stomach squirm with dread.

She was going to die.

The look of fear was quickly wiped away by a look of determination. She steeled herself as settled into a basic defensive position. If anything, she could hurt him, impair him in some way so if Enishi had to fight him…

"Tell me," the Chinese man said cheerfully. "Why are you willing to die for a man who has already disowned you?"

She frowned, attempting to even her breathing as she prepared for his next attack. She didn't want to explain herself to him. She didn't want to explain that…

He charged, and it was all she could do to dodge his swinging blades as they sliced at the air around her. She twisted around, a sense of purpose pumping through her as she slashed her own weapon in an attack.

A second later they had separated once again. Another gash had been added to her side, but she was grimly pleased to see that she had managed to give him a similar wound. He frowned as he studied the gash on his side briefly, then looked back at her.

"You didn't answer my question," he said sternly. He charged once more, but this time she was less than ready, her energy almost ready to give out as she attempted to focus on his flying swords. He turned, avoiding her stab and lashing out a final time as he jumped away from her, grinning at her short scream when she fell to the ground. He had let his swords go farther this time, and now there were two jagged slashes on her back getting lost in the bleeding red fabric.

She clenched her fists, getting up shakily as she willed herself to ignore her throbbing back.

"I once read," she said through clenched teeth, standing and turning to face him, "That once a man saves another's life, that man's life is the other's responsibility." She was still breathing heavily, feeling woozy from the lack of blood as her injuries refused to stop bleeding. She grimaced, "I saved his life long ago. All the people he hurt, all the pain he caused, is on my head."

Steadying the dagger before her, she continued, "I could walk away right now, and let you kill him, but…" She felt a throb in her chest that was not from the swords in her opponent's hands, "that would only add to the list of victims. There's enough blood on my hands."

The man smirked condescendingly, "Silly girl, how do you know he won't kill others? Do you really believe him to beso virtuous? A man who built his empire off the bodies of those he killed?"

"People can change," she replied firmly. "People are always changing. He's not the same man as he was six months ago." She knew Enishi could change ways. She had searched for him for ten years, hoping to take his life, only to fall in love with him instead. He was not so different from her. He never was.

"Well," the man sighed, smiling indifferently, "Either way, you're both going to die soon anyway. So what's the point of change now?" He laughed, kicking the ground almost gleefully, "What a waste you both are."

"What does that make you?" she spat back. Then she answered herself, "A waste of skin, food, and clothes. Something not fit to stick to the bottom of a poor beggar's shoes."

His grin only widened, "Maybe, but I'm still the one who's going to kill you." He lifted his swords, readying himself to charge as she braced herself for another onslaught.

* * *

**Past**

"Master Yukishiro?" Enishi looked up as an older man approached him, a solemn look on his face as he shifted the weight of the bag in his hand.

"The cut was very clean," the doctor explained, "Her arm should heal nicely, all she needs is to have the bandages replaced every four hours." He handed Enishi a small package. "Also, I gave her some medicine to clean her arm with. She will keep an unpleasant scar, but besides that she should recover nicely."

Enishi nodded, looking down at the bundle of bandages in his hand. He looked back to the doctor, then reached into his pocket and handed a small pouch of money to the man as payment. He took it graciously, then excused himself with a small bow as he headed out of the room.

Enishi looked tentatively at the door on the other side of the room. Mei-mei was on the other side. He wanted to go to her, comfort her, maybe hold her, but…

He frowned, tossing the bandages on a table as he turned the opposite way.

He couldn't forget the look of horror on her face.

-

_It was everywhere._

_She could smell it in her hair. On her hands. In her clothes. Betweenher fingernails. _

_Every surface it touched seemed to suck it up greedily, allowing the stain to spread and color and soil._

_Their bodies._

_He had killed them. How many others had he killed? How many more lives had stained the hands she had held in hers, the hands that had caressed her in ways she could never describe?_

_His body, how filthy was his body?_

_She cried as the stink suffocated her_._ Her mouth had a metallic flavor she couldn't pass. She wanted so badly just to wash it all off._

_Everything._

-

"Mei-mei?" a voice murmured, arousing her from the dim, half-awake stupor she had fallen into. She blinked, the room around her dark with the long shadows of late dusk. Her eyes focused, adjusting as she slowly made out the figure sitting across from her, on the edge of the bed.

She stared at him. She smelled it again.

"Mei-mei?" His voice was strained, almost painful to listen to. But all she could do was notice how much he reeked of that red liquid…

"How—how are you?"

Her breath caught in her throat and she turned away, squeezing her eyes shut, hard enough to push his image from her mind.

"Mei-mei?"

She cradled her injured arm, the white bandages glowing eerily in the half-light, similar to the hair of her lover.

"Please…"

She was crying again. The familiar smell stunk, clogging her nostrils and making it even more difficult to breathe as she suppressed her sobs.

"Look at me."

She tried to push herself away from him, willing herself to disappear into the cushions, through the fabric and through the wall, anywhere that wasn't _here_.

He reached out, brushing her cheek with his fingers.

She flinched. She turned to look at him, her shoulders shaking and her eyes wide with terror.

Her expression at that moment stung him more than anything he could remember, in such an unfamiliar way that he suddenly felt as if he would never be able to move again, to return to normal…

Terror was not something he was unfamiliar with, and he had been on the receiving end of dead men's pleas and looks of horror several times before, but never had any of those others made him feel so cruel, so vicious, for his actions.

So _responsible._

He stood up suddenly as she looked away, his fists clenched so hard his nails were biting into his palms. He didn't know what to do, he didn't know what to say, how to reassure her, ask for forgiveness…

He was frightened. Unsure of himself so suddenly he felt as if he was only twelve years old again with nothing left in the world, nothing but…

Who could pay, who could offer him revenge so that he could move on from this? So that he could live without another ghost haunting him?

Who was responsible for her terror?

He didn't answer his question, he refused to. He turned and swiftly left the room in a haze, his eyes wide and unfocused as her quiet sobs rang in his ears…

* * *

**Present**

He was running through the quiet afternoon streets, his thudding heart and footsteps out of place in the tranquil spring day. His eyes darted to every alley, every dark cranny and every open door as his ears strained to pick up any sign of Mei-mei. He didn't want to think about the fact that she may have already left, that she could very well be drifting out to the sea, heading back to the mainland.

He clenched his teeth in frustration as he forced himself to stop. Regardless of how fast he was, he wouldn't be able to cover all of Tokyo in time. He had to think about where she could have gone, he had to narrow down his search.

He had hurt her, and she had been distressed. Where would she have gone? Would she have returned to her hotel room? No, she didn't have a room anymore, she had been staying with him each night. Where else would she be familiar with? Where would she have been drawn?

An image flashed through his mind, and he remembered following her late that night so long ago…

He knew where he had to go. Without a moment's hesitation, he bolted down the street in the direction of the river.

* * *

**Past**

How long had it been? Days? Years? It felt like an eternity. When was the last time she had felt his body press against her? When did she ever watch him sleep? Did that even happen? Was she just deluding herself all this time, indulging her fantasy to ignore her true situation?

Had she ever been in love?

This question jabbed at her heart as she walked somberly down the street, her bandaged arm now free of its sling as she held it parallel to the ground. She wasn't sure, maybe it had been another man she had loved. Someone else she had kissed, held, and talked to for what felt like countless blissful hours. Had it really been him?

The image of his content and sleepy face was replaced by the look of deranged fury as he had stabbed a man cruelly.

She felt as if it was getting harder to breathe, but she kept going, her feet steady and marching with the beat of her heart. She looked up to see just where her feet had carried her as she heard the sound of running water. She was now standing beside the river, back to where it had all started. She frowned, cursing her feet for her ironic situation. She wanted to look back, down the dark street she had just emerged from, but she was afraid she'd turn around and retrace her steps if she did.

No, it was better to keep looking forward. It was better if she could just forget everything. She wanted to be relentless and persevering, just like the river she had followed for the first half of her life. She would leave this place and find a new job somewhere. Anywhere.

"Where are you going?"

She felt a piercing shock run through her body, causing her limbs to stiffen and her chest to tighten. She didn't want to look back. She didn't want to look back…

"Mei-mei?"

She resolved herself to what was inevitable. She turned slowly, facing the white-haired man who stood in the middle of the moonlit street. She said nothing, staring at his somber expression quietly, his eyes hidden in the shadows of his bangs and tinted glasses.

"I'm leaving," she forced herself to say.

"You're running away again?"

She bit her lip, but answered, "What? Are you planning to drag me back with you? It's different now, you've taught me how to fight. I won't let you take me."

He said nothing, his hands crossed at her defiant gaze. A few tense moments passed, thick with anticipation as both parties stared each other down.

Finally, he strode over to her confidently. She stiffened once more, but held her ground. She wasn't scared, and she wouldn't let herself be taken once more, not without a fight.

He was now standing in front of her, so close that she could feel his body heat hit her face gently. Blood was pounding in her ears and she was trying to suppress the shivers that urged her body, but he seemed unaware of her discomfort.

He reached into his pocket slowly, lifting a dark object from it silently. He held it in front of him, the delicate black comb out of place in his large, calloused hands. She choked back a sob as she realized it was the comb he had given her so long ago in the large trunk of fine dresses.

She could feel his gaze on her as she stared at the lacquered hair accessory, and she could feel her resolve weaken as her lip trembled, her eyes watering and her breathing becoming strained.

"Why do you have to go?" he asked, his voice but a whisper as the question hung in the air ominously.

"I—I can't stay with you," she managed to croak. She blinked, her tears falling down her cheeks as she looked up at him. He was gazing down at her over his glasses, his eyes torn and hurt as she quickly wiped her tears away.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. These words were the finishing blow to her stoic determination as she finally broke down, her sobs racking her body and carrying through the morose Shanghai night.

"Please don't," she muttered as she held herself, her gaze on the ground to avoid meeting his eyes.

"Mei-mei," he murmured, his voice strained, "Please… don't leave me…"

"No," she shook her head. She looked up at him, "There is no room for me in you. Not right now." He frowned at her in surprise, confused. She kept shaking her head as she looked down once more. "Your sister," she explained, "She is the only one you're devoted to."

He didn't deny it, he couldn't. He shut his eyes, trying to breathe steadily but shaking nonetheless. A few minutes passed in which they both tried to ground their emotions. Finally, Mei-mei's sobs had dissipated and she wiped her face once more, feeling as if her tears had drained all of her energy.

He hadn't moved, his hand still holding the small comb before him. She looked up at him as he held it out for her. She took in a deep breath, giving a tiny nod of thanks as she took it from him, cradling it in her hands as if it was a precious gem. He reached into his pockets once more and this time held out a small pouch for her to take.

She frowned as she looked at the bag of coins. "I don't need charity," she mumbled, looking away.

"It's not charity," he said, taking her hand and placing it in her open palm. She shivered at his touch as she fought the urge to wrap herself around him, chewing on her bottom lip nervously as he looked down at her. "It's a sign of gratitude."

She frowned once more, looking up at him indignantly, "I'm not a whore. I'm not taking your money."

He reached up and brushed her bangs from her forehead, then leaned down and kissed her gently. She froze, shocked tears pooling in her eyes once more at his sudden affectionate gesture.

"It's a thank you," he whispered "You saved my life ten years ago." Another wave of shock shot through her, her eyes widening in realization.

He let go of her hand, then turned and began to walk down the street, following the path back to his mansion. She was crying softly, watching his form disappear into the dark maze of streets as her fist gripped the bag of coins tightly.

After a few minutes she shook her head. "Jerk," she muttered, "He didn't give me a chance to say…" She breathed in deeply, holding her breath for a second before letting it out steadily. She tucked her comb into her sash and held the money to her stomach as she turned and began walking down the bank of the river.

She let herself have one last glance at the spot he had stood in minutes before, then continued onwards, vaguely wondering where she would end up this time…

* * *

**Present**

She swayed, feeling light-headed as her opponent cheerfully rocked back and forth, swinging his swords in anticipation. She frowned, knowing she was done. She had nothing left to give. He was ready to deliver the final blow. She would be dead in just a few moments.

She closed her eyes, gripping the hilt of her dagger and steadying herself. She would not die alone.

This thought calmed her. She knew what she had to do, she had been studying his movements as he had nicked away at her body cruelly for the past hour. She was sure of the weak spot in his defense, the perfect moment in which she could bestow a fatal wound simultaneous to his own.

She was cheerless at the thought of her final encounter with Enishi. Would he always remember her like that? Would he always assume she had been trying to kill him all this time, or would he realize just how deep her devotion ran one day? She hoped he would, so he could at least honor her memory. She didn't ask for much, only to be remembered properly.

And she wanted him to be happy. So happy.

"Making a final prayer?" the assassin asked with a malevolent grin, "Begging for mercy from the Gods?" He chuckled. "Well, I hope you've made your peace."

"Damn you to hell, bastard," she glowered, feeling a hate pulse through her so intense she almost felt rejuvenated. She knew it was a false sentiment, however, because her body was still shaking and her vision seemed to only be getting fuzzier.

She did feel she had enough left to drive her dagger through his flesh, however, and took a grim satisfaction at that.

He stopped rocking, his expression becoming more serious as he stepped into his stance.

He winked at her with a coy grin, "Don't worry, I'll tell him about your final devotion in extreme detail. Who knows, maybe I'll give him the luxury of seeing your face on your dismembered head one last time."

She was ready.

He charged, both swords held parallel to the ground and pointed at her as he prepared to skewer her with them.

Was it so terrible to die for the man she loved?

She smirked at that split second before his swords met her flesh, complacent with her final moments of life.

* * *

Note: Okay, so I'm running out of excuses for why this fic TAKES SO DAMN LONG TO UPDATE!

Um, I'm... lazy... and... er... busy... all at the same time. Kinda like a circus clown, except not so funny. Only frustrating. Unless you think clowns are frustrating, which can be true for a lot of people...

AND CRAZY! DON'T FORGET CRAZY! Yeah, I guess I'm losing my sanity.

Thanks to WhiteRabbit for her amazing job beta-ing this chapter/fic. Seriously, she pointed out so many things that were so wrong. Thank god, because that could've been embarassing. And I'm not a clown, so I don't like to be embarassed.

This fic is almost done. Five chapters tops left, probably three. Yeah, three sounds right... And I really appreciate any feedback you guys may have, although that's probably asking for much considering I'm such a lazy bitch. Sheesh, talk about a hypocrite.

SO REVIEW! UNLESS YOU WANT TO WAIT ANOTHER YEAR FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER! BWA HA HA!

... wait..! don't leave! i didn't mean it! aaahh...!

please do review. :)


	13. Bandages

* * *

Chapter 13: Bandages

* * *

It wasn't something that made sense to him. There was no rationality.

What was it?

He knew better than anyone how weak human flesh was. He knew what cold steel could do to the body of any person. He knew what it was to kill with weapons of iron and he knew how quickly a life could end with the swipe of a sword or a blast of a pistol.

He knew this, but he still urged his feet to pound the ground under to propel him forward. His blood surged in his ears and energy pulsed through his limbs, making the "frenzied nerves" emerge for the second time in months.

He knew how this encounter would end: with metal pressed against skin and blood smeared on the body.

But it wouldn't be her body.

As he lunged forward, he pushed her out of the way. His body was moving with such superhuman speed that the attacker barely had time to register the oncoming human bullet. It was too late to reconsider his assault, and his two swords drove on as if on a personal mission of their own.

Enishi knew what the outcome would be. His skin seared as if the sword that drove through him was coated in acid; he could feel the spray of dust caused in the mayhem pelt his face and he could count the changing wrinkles on the other man's face as they shifted into a look of shock.

Their eyes met in a brief moment. The assassin's stunned expression was met by one of Enishi's fierce glares. An instant later Enishi's fist had met with the man's face, launching him backwards with a stream of blood gushing out behind him, leaving an arc in the air that would fall and splatter the ground.

Enishi's own blood mixed with his attacker's on the ground as it gushed out from around the sword lodged in his side. He grimaced, looking down at his wound disdainfully. With the slightest flicker of a wince, he pulled the sword out and threw it to the ground unceremoniously.

"Wh-what…?" the assassin gasped, getting up from the ground as the blood of his face crusted with dust. He was looking at Enishi incredulously, but such a look of surprise quickly gave way to one of fury.

It was nothing compared to the seething anger on Enishi's own face.

"Bastard," Enishi growled, striding over to the assassin, who was desperately trying to locate one of his nearby swords. Enishi only stomped on one of his outstretched hands, however, digging his heel in as the man let out a howl of pain. Enishi then picked him up by the front of his shirt and punched him brutally, causing more blood and pieces of the man's teeth to fly onto the ground. "You're going to regret the day you laid a hand on her."

He lifted his hand once more, ready to deal another cruel blow to the struggling man when he heard a strained voice call out to him.

"E-enishi…" Mei-mei flinched, her voice shaking. "P-please… stop…" Enishi's hand was still hovering in the air, poised to inflict some serious damage as he looked at Mei-mei's pleading face from the corner of his eye.

He looked back to the barely conscious man hanging in his grip, then slowly lowered his fist. He shoved the assassin backwards, causing him to fall into a dejected heap at his feet.

Enishi knelt down, grabbing a fistful of the man's hair, and pulled up his face so they could see eye-to-eye.

"I don't plan on killing you," he hissed, his eyes narrowed dangerously, "But if you _ever_ come near Mei-mei or me ever again, I swear I will make you wish you had never lived your pitiful life just so I could tear you limb from limb."

The assassin's usually narrow and cattish eyes were wide with horror, blood still running down his face messily as he coughed and spat it up. Enishi pushed him back roughly, causing him to fall on his back painfully as the white-haired man stood up, a menacing stare still on his face.

Finally, Enishi turned away, walking to where Mei-mei was still lying after she had been pushed away by him. He knelt down, ignoring the steady trickle of blood from his side as he watched hers stain the dirt around her body.

He felt panic well within him, his eyes darting to the injuries around her body as his nerves shrunk back to their normal size. She watched him quietly for a moment, as if withholding judgment, until his gaze finally rested on her own. They stared at each other, his eyes frantic and afraid as her gaze remained cool and steady.

She smiled, letting out a shaky chuckle as she gave in to her exhaustion, her heavy eyelids finally dropping.

He shouted her name, but she didn't open her eyes.

* * *

**Past**

It was a miracle anyone even spoke to Enishi in the following months. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that such communication was necessary to run such a large organization, no sane person would have even dared to cross his path.

All his subordinates tiptoed around him, as if playing a dangerous game with a sleeping tiger that would have no second thoughts about sinking his teeth into their necks if they had the slightest of mishaps.

It was a drastic change from the relatively peaceful and calmer boss they had enjoyed for the past few months now. His usual steely demeanor was now replaced with a constant air of unpredictable fury.

No one knew for whom the intense anger was truly meant for.

* * *

**Present**

"Hey, hey, come on!" Yutarou exclaimed, waving his hand for emphasis, "You gotta put in more effort if you want to get better! I've seen old farts swing their canes with more exertion than you!"

The young boy he was addressing gulped, nodding in response as he repositioned himself. He swung his shinai down once more with enough force to make the wind whistle around the bamboo sword. As he reached the end of the swing, however, the shinai flew out of his grip, shooting straight to where Yahiko was standing as he observed a couple other students.

With a yelp of surprise Yahiko jumped away just in time, the training sword clattering to the ground loudly.

"What kind of swordsman loses the grip of his sword in the middle of a swing?" Yahiko yelled as he regained his footing. The boy blanched, hanging his head in embarrassment as Yahiko turned to Yutarou, "And aren't you supposed to be helping him instead of counting your toes, idiot?"

"Hey!" Yutarou stood up defensively, "It's not as if I…"

"Yahiko-san, Yutarou-san!" a student yelled out, running through the open door to the two boys. "Th-there's a man here! And—and he's carrying a girl…!"

"Eh?" Yahiko and Yutarou both said, cocking their eyebrows questioningly at the wide-eyed pupil.

"There's so much blood!" the boy exclaimed frantically, as if that would clarify everything. Yutarou and Yahiko instantly got up and ran outside, calling for Kaoru and Kenshin as they did so.

Screeching to a halt in front of the gate, both their jaws dropped in horror as they took in the appearance of the people in front of them.

"Wha…?" was all Yutarou was able to mutter as he stared at the white-haired man with the haggard expression. He was carrying Mei-mei, her head resting at the crook of his neck with a pained expression on her face. His arms were covered in what Yutarou guessed was her blood, seeing as her clothes were torn and stained with the gashes around her body. Mei-mei's eyes were closed, and judging by how limp she was Yutarou guessed she was unconscious.

"What did you do to her?" Yutarou cried before he could stop himself. He instantly regretted it as the man winced with something akin to shame. Yutarou hadn't meant to insinuate that he had done anything to hurt Mei-mei; it was really just more of an emotional outburst.

"Enishi!" a voice behind them gasped. Kaoru was running towards the scene, her eyes wide with horror and Kenshin following closely behind, a serious expression on his usually cheerful face. "What happened?"

"Can you help her?" was all Enishi said, his messy white bangs hanging over his eyes.

"Yahiko, run to the clinic and get Megumi!" Kaoru ordered, running to Enishi to inspect the girl in his arms. "Hurry!" Yahiko nodded and bolted out of the dojo, a plume of dust left hovering in the air where he had been standing.

"Kenshin, get a futon ready," Kaoru said, her eyebrows knit with worry. Kenshin nodded and disappeared as well. She turned to Yutarou, "Boil some water and rags, quickly!"

"Will she be okay?" Yutarou asked hesitantly.

"She will be if you hurry!" Kaoru snapped impatiently. Yutarou only nodded as he ran to the kitchen, his mind still on the trails of Mei-mei's blood on Enishi's arms.

-

Enishi was sitting outside on the walkway, his head buried in his arms with his legs drawn up to his chest. He was breathing heavily, as if trying to contain his emotions was physically draining. Kenshin was seated across from him, his back resting on a post with his sakabatou leaning against his shoulder.

The screen opened and Megumi walked out holding a bin of steaming water and a pack of bandages, closing the shoji briskly behind her. Enishi stood up immediately, towering over the doctor with a grim expression.

"Is she alright?" he asked, his voice almost a growl.

Megumi refused to feel threatened, however, as she brushed a stray lock from her face, "We're trying our best. Kaoru's wrapping her wounds now and we've managed to stop the bleeding."

"Then she'll live, right?" Enishi said, leaning towards the doctor menacingly. "You're going to make sure she lives, because if you don't, I swear I'll…" His fists were clenched and his teeth bared, but Megumi only frowned at him irritably.

Before he was able to articulate his threat, Megumi slapped him across the face with her free hand. His eyes were almost round with shock, his cheek taking on a red tint as he touched it gingerly with the tips of his fingers.

"Stop acting like a petulant child," Megumi replied briskly, "I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker. I'm doing all I can." Enishi turned away as he lowered his head and grit his teeth with frustration.

Megumi's expression softened at his obvious concern, "She's lost a lot of blood, but she seems to be doing fine now. All she needs is rest and medicine to provide her with some essential nutrients." Enishi didn't reply, his fists shaking as his nails dug into the palms of his skin. Megumi sighed, then said, "I came to check on you. You're also wounded and have probably lost substantial amounts of blood as well."

"I'm fine," Enishi hissed, his back still turned to her. "Will you just go take care of her?"

"I already told you, stop acting like a child," Megumi snapped. "If she wakes up and finds you've died because you refused treatment because of her, how do you think she'll feel? Now sit down, I'm going to check your wounds." Enishi didn't respond for a minute, his entire body tense as Megumi stared at his back expectantly. Finally, he plopped down, crossing his legs and setting his palms on his knees.

Megumi knelt down without a word as he pulled his arms out of the sleeves of his cotton kimono. She grimaced at the hole in his side, the quickly began to clean it with a rag and water.

A few minutes later she got up and stepped back inside. Enishi did nothing, his cut bandaged and cleaned as he sat silently. Kenshin was watching him mutedly, noticing how his shoulders shook slightly in the failing light of the late afternoon.

"How did this happen?" Kenshin finally asked quietly. Enishi said nothing, his shoulders still shaking as the shadows inched further and minutes passed. Kenshin waited, sitting calmly on the walkway with the quiet hum of the ending day.

"It was because of me," Enishi finally stated in a hoarse voice.

Kenshin nodded slightly, then said, "Don't blame yourself."

"Who else is there to blame?" he snapped.

Kenshin didn't reply, his soft gaze on the young man who was burying his face in his hands seated before him.

"Nee-san…"

The former-rurouni felt his heart ache as Enishi continued to suffer quietly, lost in the fear of losing the woman he loved. Kenshin frowned, feeling anxiety itch at his chest. Enishi had already lost something precious, something he couldn't protect…

He prayed such a thing wouldn't happen again.

* * *

**Past**

The young woman worked quietly and diligently, performing the simple duties she was hired to do without a word of protest.

The other women tended to avoid her as the quiet impression of the girl was rather unnerving. Still, no one had any real complaints about her. She was pleasant enough to talk to when necessary, but still remained distant so as not to be a bother.

There was only a slight ripple of disturbance when she disappeared one morning, weeks after she had first arrived.

The curiosity surrounding the peculiar girl's sudden disappearance from the small town smoothed over in just a matter of days, and soon she managed to slip out of people's minds entirely.

* * *

**Present**

She wondered if this is what it would feel like to have lead pumping through your veins. Her arms felt like bricks and even her thoughts were muddy and slow. Her chest was heavy and it was hard to breathe, and it took too much energy to open her eyes…

Maybe she had died? She had never felt like this before, and she had been on the brink of death many times before…

"Mei-mei?" a muffled voice queried. She titled her head to the side, towards where she thought the voice was, but suddenly felt as if her head had done a summersault and was now rolling in a sickening manner. She felt herself pale and she resisted the urge to throw up.

"Mei-mei! Are you awake? Can you hear me?"

She didn't try moving her head again, this time cracking her eyes open slightly. Everything was blurry and dark for a moment as her eyes adjusted to the light. Suddenly it was as if the sun had leaped into her vision, and she winced and shut her eyes once more.

"Ah, sorry!" she heard Yutarou blow out the candle as she lifted her heavy eyelids. He was looking down at her with a grin, almost goofy, clearly relieved that she was awake.

"Wh-where…?" she croaked, feeling as if her throat was as thin as a reed. She coughed, making her head pound, as she tried to clear it.

"You're at the dojo," Yutarou replied, not waiting for her to finish. "Megumi-sensei's fixed your wounds and you seem to be doing a lot better. You've been asleep for almost a day and a half now."

She blinked blearily at him in reply, then mumbled, "Enishi…?"

His face fell slightly, but he quickly covered it up with a calm smile, "He's sleeping right now. But he's fine, don't worry." She looked up at him thankfully, her face tired as she felt herself drifting back to sleep.

"It's okay," he said as he watched her struggle to keep her eyes open. "Just rest, you'll be better soon."

Her mind blurred as she slipped back into the comfortable darkness where she could escape her heavy limbs and sore mind, resting peacefully.

-

"How are you feeling?" Kaoru asked, a worried frown on her face. He didn't reply, sitting cross-legged on the back walkway with a dark expression. Kaoru sighed, feeling as if she hadn't seen him move in all the time he had been staying at the dojo.

"She's been awake since noon, you know that, right?" Kaoru asked, her tone becoming sharper as her frown deepened. He still didn't reply. "Well?" Kaoru snorted, feeling her anger mount at the unresponsive man. "Aren't you going to go see her?"

"Shut up," Enishi snapped, not looking at her. He stood up and jumped off the walkway, beginning to walk away as Kaoru kept herself from tackling him down.

He was injured. She couldn't tackle an injured person.

Still…

"Enishi," she heard someone say before she could come up with a clear resolution. Kenshin was standing in front of Enishi, blocking his way. He had a stern look in his face.

"We need to talk," he told the younger man. Enishi almost visibly growled as he glared at the swordsman. Kenshin met his gaze evenly, a similarly fierce expression on his face. "This one is not letting you leave until you listen to him. Come."

He began walking away, and after a moment Enishi followed him, much to Kaoru's surprise. She sighed heavily as they both turned around a corner, feeling weighed down by the thick atmosphere surrounding the dojo. She was frustrated, but she knew Kenshin could handle Enishi better.

She sighed once more, turning and walking the opposite way.

-

"What do you want, Battousai?" Enishi scowled, sitting across from Kenshin in the sitting room. Kenshin only picked up his cup of steaming tea and sipped calmly from it, causing a tick of impatience to rise in Enishi.

Finally, he set down the cup, resting it in his palm, "Enishi, you need to stop punishing yourself."

Enishi chewed on the inside of his cheek furiously, his fist clenched defensively, "Don't tell me what to do."

Kenshin nodded, "This one understands that, Enishi, but this one also doesn't think he can sit here and watch you do this to yourself."

"I don't need your pity, Battousai," Enishi hissed. "And I don't need you to appease your guilt by trying to help me."

Kenshin looked back at Enishi evenly, "This one is trying to help you as a man who also hurt someone he loved, who lost someone he loved." Enishi tensed as he warily studied the older man before him. "But you haven't lost her yet, Enishi, she's still there for you."

Enishi grimaced, looking away, "I already told you, you don't need you to tell me such things." Enishi glanced at Kenshin, only to look away again, adding, "I've already put her in this situation too many times before. It's enough."

"Enishi," Kenshin said, his voice soft, "I know I'm probably not the person you'd like to be with right now, but I am willing to listen if you are willing to talk."

Enishi didn't reply, and minutes crawled by in silence. Kenshin sat with the cooling cup of tea in his hands as Enishi remained frigid and motionless. There was the steady tick of the clock as random sounds from outside filtered in occasionally.

"I never asked her to help me," Enishi muttered after what felt like an eternity. Kenshin looked up at the young man to see that he was covering his eyes with one hand, his other clenched tightly in a shaking fist. "But she did. And every time she did, it seems I only managed to hurt her more. God dammit…"

-

The night was soft, a clear sky holding a bald moon that lit the crisp world below. The shadows played off each other and made the room, the walls, the shouji, everything, look surreal and imagined. But he knew he would never have imagined such a predicament. This was real.

He was sitting beside her, watching her sleep. She was heavily bandaged, and he winced every time he thought about each new scar that would be imbedded into her skin.

All because of him.

_"You have to forgive yourself, Enishi."_

He just spent two-and-a-half hours talking to his sister's killer. He just stripped himself and his past with Mei-mei to a man whom he hardly knew. To a man he hated.

He hated…

He couldn't hate Himura Kenshin, not anymore. The battle with him was enough to break his resolve, but, even more so, he could understand what had driven his sister to die for such a man. He had felt it as he had charged in front of Mei-mei, regardless of what could've happened to him.

He felt a shoot of pain go through his chest. He knew what it was…

He remembered the diary that was now sitting in the room Kaoru had let him stay in. He felt a lump clog up his throat.

He didn't want to read it. He didn't want to realize that his sister really had fallen in love with Battousai.

He clenched his fists. _Sister…_

Back in Rakuninmura, he had nothing left, nothing to live for. The only thing he was holding on for was his sister.

Tomoe would not want him to die. Not before it was his time.

His body lived almost by sheer will for months. He couldn't remember how he got to Rakuninmura, or how he got food, or how he had survived the winter, but he knew he managed to keep _living_ just to appease his sister. There was no other reason.

Then Mei-mei found him.

He ate for her. He bathed for her. He rested for her. And when he thought she had left, he just wanted to die all over again.

But she was still here.

He reached down and stroked her hand tentatively, and when she just kept sleeping he slipped it into his own. It felt like decades had passed before he had felt the warmth of her skin against his. Had that really been only ten years ago?

"Why haven't you come to see me sooner?" she whispered softly. He looked at her face to see that her eyes were open, gazing at him sadly.

"I…" he began, but his voice died in his throat. He looked away and made to pull his hand away from hers, but she held onto it tightly.

"You saved my life," she mumbled. He glanced at her just as she turned away. "Thank you." She let go of his hand, pulling hers out of his and letting it fall to her side.

He hung his head, feeling frustrated, "How can you say that to me after what happened? If it weren't for me, you never even would have…" He shook his head at himself, "I nearly got you killed." Those words were painful, almost as if they had scraped along the lining of his throat on their way out of his chest. She stared at him, then slowly pushed herself up with her elbow, wincing with the pain of sitting. She ignored the protests from her body, now looking at him evenly from the same height.

"Don't take all the credit," she said sternly, her eyes locked on his. "I'm the one stubborn enough to chase after a man long after he's gone. If I had any common sense I would've stayed in China."

"Why didn't you?" Enishi asked, his brow furrowed as he looked at her.

The contrast of the shadows on her face as she shifted from a frown to a smile was amazing. "It's alright if you really don't know. Don't worry, I'll be going back soon anyway. And then you can…" Her smile faltered and she turned away again, a bittersweet expression still on her face.

Enishi watched her silently, fighting the desire to bolt out of the room and out the gate, anywhere away from this woman who could make him suffer just by changing her expression.

"You should've been gone a long time ago," he muttered. "It would've been better if I had just let you run away that first night."

"Do you really think that?" He looked back at her with surprise, but she just sighed. "Do you really wish none of this would have happened?"

He was quiet, his mind mulling over the clashing responses in his head. He knit his eyebrows, "You're hurt."

She smiled once more, "Of course. I've been hurt for a long time, Enishi."

He turned away, "I haven't forgotten what I did to you fifteen years ago. I took that family. I remember."

Her face fell as she recalled the Japanese family in Shanghai from so long ago.

"Why didn't you kill me?" he asked earnestly, his eyes flickering to her face.

She almost snorted quietly, "I wanted to, believe me."

"Then why…?"

"Things don't always go to plan," she cut in. "You know that." He bit his lip. He did know that. There were too many failed plots in his past.

"I didn't want to get attached to you, Enishi," she whispered, her eyes gazing into his. "But I couldn't help it. Can you understand that?"

"I…" he trailed off, feeling as if his head was suddenly buzzing painfully. He frowned, pushing his palm against his temple in frustration.

"You look angry," she said.

"I am."

"Why?"

"Because you're a fool." There was a moment of silence, but then he heard her begin to laugh quietly.

"I know," she chuckled, "I know that better than you can imagine."

"Stop it," he growled back at her mocking words.

"No," she stated simply. He glared at her, but she kept her gaze steady, a flicker of amusement apparent in her eyes. She sighed, "Don't mope, Enishi."

"I'm not moping," he snapped back. Her smile widened. She lifted her hand and reached up, stroking his cheek with her finger tips tenderly. His eyes were wide with shock, but she only continued stroking his face, running her fingers through his hair as well.

He felt the fear of losing her rise back up in him, the guilt of having pushed her away, almost as if he was back in that split moment where he thought she was really going to die.

"I'm sorry," he whispered hoarsely. She brushed the tear from his face, ignoring the ones that were welling in her own eyes.

She laughed shakily, but couldn't respond otherwise. She felt her mouth refuse to remain as the smile it was, and she could feel her chest clench with the effort of keeping in her sobs. The hand by his face was shaking, but he took it in his own and pressed it against his face.

She blinked, clearing her vision of the watery tears as they dripped down her face. He leaned closer to her, still holding her hand as he lowered it. Now he cupped her face in his free hand as she continued to shake with her muffled sobs.

Their faces met with wet cheeks brushing against each other. Their kiss was laced with the taste of salt. He wrapped his arms gently around her waist, but when she winced he flinched in surprise as well, breaking their kiss.

"I-I'm sorry," she mumbled abashedly. He only looked back at her before he pressed his forehead against hers, their noses touching as he closed his eyes. They breathed in at the same time as they got as close as their injuries would allow.

"I'm the one that's apologizing," he muttered. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel her lips smiling.

"Really?" she whispered with amusement.

"Yes," he replied seriously. They opened their eyes to gaze at each other, "I swear I'll never let you get hurt again."

"How noble," she chuckled. He wasn't sure if he was hearing sarcasm or not, but when more tears fell down her face as she closed her eyes blissfully he felt his heart warm, knowing hearing him say that had made her happy. They both smiled as she leaned in, pressing her lips against his affectionately.

They lay down facing each other, wishing they could be closer but unable to forget the bandages wrapped around their bodies. He reached for her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. She smiled joyfully, amazed at the level of ecstasy she had reached. A flutter of fear that comes from being desperately happy passed through her, but his reassuring gaze let it die down to a harmless murmur.

They lay like that for several serene and quiet minutes. She felt herself begin to slip away, her eyes closing of their own accord. She didn't fight it. She knew he would be there when she woke up the next morning.

Just before she fell completely into her dreams, she heard him whisper:

"I love you."

She grinned blearily, squeezing his hand, "Me too…"

They fell asleep smiling.

* * *

**Notes:** So, yeah… IT HASN'T BEEN FIVE MILLION YEARS!

Isn't that wonderful? I think it's wonderful. I'm posting this chapter relatively guilt free (yay!).

There's a few loose ends to tie up, but we're almost to the end. Can you believe it's been two years since I first posted this? Jesus, time goes waaaay too fast. Fun times, tho'.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and please keep reviewing! PLEASE!!

thanks, guys :)


End file.
